Holidays and Horrors
by Artificial Dreams
Summary: NTouya. Touko and N are the heroes of the Unova region. While Touya is no champion or hero, much like his sister he's still a competent trainer that lives with their mother. On Halloween night, however, he meets her rival N... and everything changes.
1. Halloween

**A/N**: Hey guys! A few kind of important things (which is why this it at the top instead of the bottom). First - this is a holiday based fanfic. Which means it'll only be updated during holidays. The next chapter is looking to be around December time, and then probably New Year's. It'll be slow-going, but I'll try to keep it engaging. The second thing has little relation to this fic, but NaNoWriMo is in November, so instead of updating any fanfictions I'll be working on an original story. I apologize. But I also challenge you all to partake as well - it's a fun exercise. Take care, have fun, and be sure to enjoy a safe and candy-filled Halloween yourselves!  
><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: I do not own Pokemon, its characters, nor do I have any affiliation with Nintendo or Game Freak. That'd be sweet though. Just imagine - release dates would be postponed more than usual with me on board! No, wait that's a bad thing...

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><p>"Good evening… my name is Touya. I bid you… welcome. Enter freely and of your own will." That was my greeting every Halloween, originating simply as a joke that transformed into a trademark. I wish I was kidding about that. Then I wouldn't be saying it a million times every Halloween.<p>

The kids giggled, accepting candy for themselves and a few berries for any Pokemon that may have lived with them. Parents gave wan smiles, already worn out for the evening while their children simply stuffed chocolate into their mouths to keep going. I gave my own smile, trying to express some form of sympathy to the adults. Either they didn't see it, or they were too busy corralling the kids away to the next house to respond. I shrugged, and closed the door once more. Setting the candy bowl down next to the door, I used my now freed hands to fiddle with the ties on the cape.

There was a reason cheap costumes were cheap. By the time I got the stupid knot undone, there were already more kids ringing the doorbell and squealing. With a sigh, I tossed the cape to the side and took up the candy bowl once more. Taking a deep breath, I forced my visage into a more somber one and slowly creaked the door open. "Good evening… my name is Touya." And so on and so forth. I'm not going to keep relaying that part – I got sick of saying it four years ago. The evening was monotonous, and unlike every other teenager in Nuvema Town I had no desire to watch a scary movie. I had enough of that traveling Unova, thank you very much. Ever got lost in Twist Mountain during the winter? That's a horror story in itself, but I'd really rather not discuss it.  
>My sister was out with her girlfriend Bianca, attending some kind of event in the Relic Castle area. About thirty minutes ago Touko – my sister, I mean – texted me about how there were so many disturbing legends surrounding the place she couldn't wait to tell me about it.<p>

I wasn't looking forward to her kind decision to share.

Cheren was at his own house, partaking in his own twisted idea of fun. Very few people knew it, but the grotesque zombie running around terrifying the pants off of small children was Cheren in disguise. The guy was normally pretty calm and collected, but every year I've witnessed the transformation. Since the first time I saw it, I've made a note to never get on his bad side. They say it's always the quiet ones… in his case, yeah – he has a list.  
>Not joking about that, either.<p>

Mom was off having an adult's night out with Bianca and Cheren's parents. Professor Juniper and her "friend" Fennel were also joining them. I had my questions about the kind of friendship the professors had, but so far neither were budging in their claims. None of that is really all that relevant, but these were people that were fairly active in my daily life and all of them were busy. Me? I was just handing out candy. And watching My Little Ponyta: Friendship is Magic.

Shut up, it was either that or Saw IV and I didn't have the stomach for it.

While Princess Luna was doubling the fun on television, the night continued on in repetitive motions. The cape remained on the couch, discarded and undesired due to a perpetual wardrobe malfunction it caused. Children squealed, and in the distance I could sometimes hear the cries and whimpers of Cheren's victims. My greeting was a rinse, wash, repeat process and by nine o'clock I didn't even hear my own voice any longer for sanity reasons. By ten almost all of the kids were finished trick-or-treating, and I still had another two hours before anyone else would be home. And a bowl full of candy.

Oh, I had plans. I had plans galore. I'll give you a hint: sugar rushes were involved.

And like all my other plans, they completely fell through.

There was a bowl of candy in my lap, and I was watching some of the old B-films that play in marathons every Halloween. The effects were terrible, but there was a reassurance in knowing it was fake. I'm not a brave little toaster, which is why instead of letting my imagination run wild in attempting sleep I was going to stay up until someone got home. Until then, nothing like candy and popcorn to make time fly. Oh, right – and really poor excuses for horror films. I was watching the seventeenth woman run screaming through fake bushes, the occasional camera making a cameo as she did so while being chased by a Dusknoir who seemed more interested in hugging the woman instead of disemboweling her.

Casually, I glanced away from the flickering screen to observe that all the living room lights were on perfectly as I pressed mute. Even if the effects were terrible, the feeble attempts at simulated violence and the noises that accompanied it were disturbing. Giving it about two minutes, I pressed the volume back on – and jumped. There was a crackling sound, and my head snapped to see the cause even though I already knew why. There was the static snow of a lost channel, and I gave an exasperated sigh to try get past how coincidental the timing was. Of course I would lose reception when not watching, that was my luck. Not a sign of anything, nope.

Changing the channels, I frowned when realizing nothing else was coming through. Did something happen to the satellite?

And then the lights began to flicker. If I had been Cheren, I probably would have gotten up cursing and swearing about little brats disturbing my personal time. If I had been Bianca, I would have grabbed my Musharna and held her ready like a machine gun to anyone that threatened us. If I had been my sister, I would have grabbed a bat. But I was me, and I followed my flight response and ran upstairs calling for the only thing in the house other than myself – the family Liepard. She lifted her head slowly, drowsily as I yelled for her. With a lopsided feline grin and a trilled meow in greeting, she languidly got up to stretch.

Lifting her up by her rear and beneath her front legs, I pulled her close while peering outside. "Liepard. Something's out there." I whispered to her as quietly as I could, trying to keep my voice even. She simply purred in my arms, and as I held her for more than thirty seconds I remembered she was not the Purrloin I grew up with. She was fatter now. Oh, and I guess bigger. Liepard gently nudged me, her tail flicking past my waist. "Right! Good girl…" I murmured, and adjusted her in my arms so I could get one hand ready on one of my PokeBalls. If there were any serial killers or murderers or monsters outside, I could just send out my Maractus. She was an overly friendly Pokemon normally, but she had a mean bone she reserved specifically for people encroaching on "her territory."

If the monster or serial killer had a fire-type on hand though, I was sending out Golett. What? The only water-type I had was a Frillish. Sending him out on land was cruel and unusual. Liepard snuggling against me in one arm, and my other on Maractus' ball, I creeped slowly around the house with my ears straining for anything out of place. Which was tricky with the loud background sound of Liepard, and the fact she was starting to knead my shoulder further distracted. "Oww… oww… oww! Liepard, we talked about this! Gentle with the claws, _gentle_." She eased up.

There was a crash outside, followed by a loud popping noise. That was when the sprinklers went off, and a loud yell echoed. Like any good victim in a murder, I ran towards the sound rather than away. _This is how people die,_ I told myself but my feet kept me racing towards the back door. Something smashed into it, and I screamed. The body flung itself from the back door, and raced through the bushes. Liepard yowled at me, more perturbed by my scream than a random person smashing into our house.

Maractus jumped from her Pokeball, pink eyes swerving all across the room. The lights gave one last flash, before the power gave up entirely and we were thrown into darkness. Slowly sinking down, I huddled with my Pokemon in the shadows. There was another shout, the sprinklers still going off. Releasing a sigh, my muscles relaxed. "Just a drunk." No murderer was this loud. I hoped.

We stayed in our little group, Maractus shaking occasionally in disapproval. Eventually, there was knocking on the front door. I waited. The drunk was going to lose interest, and eventually go away. Ignore a drunk, and that was generally what they did. Unless they were an angry drunk.  
>Then they would axe down the door, followed by me. I shuddered at the thought and the morning's newspapers: young trainer killed by drunk – Maractus on angry rampage, Liepard makes off with trainer's jacket.<p>

They would, too.

The knocking continued. I remained ignoring it. With time, the knocking subsided. "Finally…" Breathing out, I tried maneuvering my way around two Pokemon to check my C-Gear for the time.

The door busted down, and I totally did not scream like a five-year old. Maractus left my side immediately, using Needle Arm in the dark against the trespasser. There was a masculine yelp, and the sound of two creatures wrestling with each other.

"No, Zoroark wait…!" The male voice yelled, and now there were crashes in my living room. Even Liepard's head snapped up, I could feel her movements. Wriggling out of my arms, she raced towards the commotion. I shook slightly, and gathered courage – I had to protect my Pokemon from these invaders. With a deep breath, I held out my C-Gear and raced towards the living room.

"What's going on…?" I demanded, trying to peer through the darkness using only a feeble light.

"Touko…?" The man asked. _Touko…?_ "Ah, well… you can't be Touko… uhm… are you, ah… Touyu?"

"No?" I responded, momentarily thrown off. He was close to my name – one letter off. Wait, was this someone my sister knew…? I tried to recall all the names of people she had met when she was on her journey – too many names.

"You aren't Touyu…? Oh no…" He groaned. "Zoroark, you were wrong – this _isn't_ her house…" The man continued, and there was an unfamiliar noise that sounded offended. I was guessing that was Zoroark – which was probably his Pokemon… noticing the lack of sounds, I also realizing Maractus was no longer tangoing with them.

"My name isn't Touyu, I mean. It's Touya." I corrected, wondering why I was assuring a complete stranger that broke into my home this was the right home to break into. It was almost like I had some kind of twisted death wish.

"Oh. Oh! Right. Sorry about that, I'm better with names when I have a face to put to them and while Touko did have a picture of you there were a few other people also in it and it was only a brief glance so I apologize that I don't really remember your name or what you looked like not that it really matters since I don't think you've ever met me and I probably… I sound like a creeper, don't I?" There was a tumble of words, and I didn't realize the man stopped talking until he made an awkward cough at the silence. "It's all right, Touko said so as well…"

"I'm sorry, what?" If my sister called this guy a creeper, he probably was.  
>Holy Arceus, he was one of her exes, wasn't he? I was so screwed. Came here to kill my sister, found me instead, and now to exact vengeance for being dumped he was going to kill me.<p>

"I'm looking for Touko. Is she… she's not in, is she?" The man sighed. "I guessed as much, but there was a small percentage of a chance that she might be – I crunched the numbers myself – and I had nowhere else to go and I just… I was really hoping, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised I mean why would she be here I'm sure she has plenty of other things to do rather than sit around at home doing nothing on such a festive night…"

"Thanks." I murmured.

"For what?" The man responded inquisitively. In no way was I going to justify that level of cluelessness, so I silently simmered and waited for this chatterbox to just get it over with. "Oh! No, I didn't mean… that is… I'm sorry. I'm not… making a very good first impression, am I?"

"Not really." There was no sense in beating around the bush, and if my sister was blunt with him there was no reason I couldn't be. "So… who exactly are you, and why did you break into my house? Well, it's also my sister's house… why did you break into _our_ home?" These were rather pressing questions, you know.

"I'm in." The man replied quickly, and I could hear him shuffling his feet.

"…yes. Yes you are in. But why did you WANT in? And what is your name? A little unfair you know so much about me, and I have no idea who you even could be."

"I just told you – I'm… ah, I hear it now. Sorry, I didn't realize it could be heard any differently but I suppose when you hear your name all the time you just assume everyone else does which is a little self-centered and presumptive of me – " The man could talk me to death, and I was starting to think that was his plan.

"Your name, please." I sighed, tired of his rapid-fire speech.

"Yes. My name is N, and as for why I broke in… I needed somewhere to stay. Briefly." He added that last part in a hurry. Somehow, I doubted the brevity of his stayi-… wait. His name was N. There was only one 'N' that my sister ever mentioned from her travels through Unova, and he had been the king of Team Plasma… past-tense. Between her and one of the sages, he lost that title and his cult of followers. At the end of it all, Touko said she felt bad for him – for everything he had been put through. But all I was aware of was what this man had put _my sister_ through…

"Get out." My voice was flat, and I jumped hearing myself. I had never sounded like that before.

"Pardon?" The man – N – asked hesitantly, afraid to hear the verification he had not misheard. I took a deep breath.

"I said: Get out. You… just… you can't just, just can't do this! After everything you did – everything you DID! All the horrible things… and then break down the… the house door! And expect it to be okay with someone! To just force your way inside and expect me to say, 'Oh sure! You can stay as long as you need to!' That's… that's not how it works! You, you should be… doing stuff to make amends! Sending those 'I'm Sorry' cards to my sister, and doing some kind of volunteer service to show people you understand you need to give back before you can ask for forgiveness!" Half of what I was saying wasn't even making sense to my own ears, but N silently listened even though my words were probably a bunch of nonsense to someone like him.

Someone like him. Someone who condoned stealing someone's friend, a Pokemon that traveled with them, fought by their side… someone who wanted to rip everyone apart from the inside out by force. Someone who went so far to bring a legend to life, and forced my sister to be something she never wanted to be just so he could live in an illusion…

That wasn't someone who was welcome in my – in our – home.

"…is that how… you make things better?" N asked, softly.

"Yes." Actually, I had no idea – but I replied before I honestly thought about it, and I was willing to say anything to get him out of my home and my life – before Touko got back and saw him there. Before he hurt her again.

"Oh." That was his only reply. "Then… once I do all that… may I come back, and stay? Briefly, that is?" What was with him and staying here? I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.

"That's up to my mom and Touko at that point. But… seriously, why did you break in here? What is with this, 'may I stay here' stuff? I'm sure your followers would love to have you stay with them 'briefly'…" Scoffing was not my forte, but I felt I was doing a reasonable attempt.

"I just… I…" I could hear him trying to say it, trying to get the words out. And for someone who could talk like they were running an open auction, who had no end to things to say… he was unable to say anything more. N sighed, defeated by his own self.

I was not going to feel guilty. This was a monster in a man's disguise (not that I could really see him), and I would not pity someone who made other's suffer just to feel good about himself.

"I'm sorry." N finally muttered. "If you were Touko, perhaps I could… but not to you, no… I… I can't. She wouldn't laugh… but you don't seem very fond of me, and I would rather not… be mocked…" His words were becoming broken up, awkward. Suddenly, it occurred to me that yes – I was being mean to him, to someone who had been hopeful to come here for… whatever he wanted to come here for, and instead I was down talking him and probably making him incredibly uncomfortable.

And suddenly I became uncomfortable with myself. He totally deserved the treatment I was giving him, but then… thinking of it like that, what was I accomplishing by being cruel? Massaging my temples, I wished for an easy answer on what to do in this situation to come to me. Instead, Liepard began to rub against my legs purring.

I was not going to rub against a strange man's legs and start purring. There were so many things wrong with that, I wasn't even sure where to begin. Obviously, this answer was rejected.

"I won't laugh." I promised instead. "I'm… sorry for… making you feel unwelcome, but you should really look at it from my perspective – you did terribly things to my sister, and I'm not really sure how many more times I'm going to have to say this before you understand it's _not_ acceptable… but you broke into my home. And you won't tell me why. Now. You're going to fix that door, and explain everything to me. Everything."

"Even the number-crunching?" Was that intended as a joke, or was he being serious? Just in case…

"No. You're just going to explain why you're here, and fix the door." I was being too soft on the guy. Even if the fact he sounded awkward and uncomfortable reminded me of myself, I was being way too soft.

"Right. I think I can fix the door…" N murmured, and there was some shuffling and whispering. After a moment, there was an odd sound and suddenly there was a Duskull floating between us, it's one red eye releasing an eerie glow. I could kind of make out N – he was a lot taller than me, but I was more startled by his face – he was probably no more than two years older than me. Hearing everything about him, I imagined him to be a lot older… considering he was the king of a bunch of crazy cultists, I figured he would have had to spend a few years gathering funds, recruiting people, preparing speeches…

It occurred to me I knew almost nothing about Team Plasma and how things worked. I didn't really set out to explore the world until after everything happened. After things were dubbed 'safe' by my mother.

I was so… ignorant.

N walked over to the door, the mysterious Duskull providing light. Having little else to do, I followed after with my Pokemon. The two of us were silent, mostly to permit N time to try and figure out how he was going to deal with the door. Finally, he let out a breath. "We broke off the hinges." He concluded. "I'll just… have to get you a new door. I can kind of fix it for the night, but it wouldn't be permanent."

At least he was honest – and was offering to buy a new door.

"Well… just do what you can, for now. We'll wait up until everyone gets home. You can explain what happened." When I said that, he flinched slightly – and then looked at me with surprise.

"You'll let me stay until Touko gets home?" N sounded far too happy about that. He looked far too happy about that. I eyed him warily.

"Yes. And then whatever she decides, I'm okay with." This sounded fair to him, so he nodded and began to set out to trying put a temporary fix on a broken door.

"Right. I suppose, I should start at the beginning… it'll make more sense to you, if I do. I am… or rather, was… the king of Team Plasma. I'm still not really… accepting the facts, so I apologize if my tense is incorrect. A lot happened. Much of it I don't wish to believe." He paused, took a deep breath, and plunged forward. "Team Plasma, officially, is no more. I am no longer the king, and if they asked me to be the king again I would turn them down. Team Plasma was not what I thought it was, what I was making it into. There was me, a front… and then there was my father, the reality." He paused, hovering between continuing and hiding. He went on, "I just wanted… to give Pokemon a world they could live happily in, without fear or concern. Without undue suffering… I realize I cannot save Pokemon from everything, but I wanted to at least save them from abuse and abandonment. My father… he just wanted to use them, and I never… I didn't…

I don't know how I never noticed. I guess I just didn't want to see it… until I found out the truth, I didn't realize how much I contradicted myself. All I talked about was setting Pokemon free… but the entire time, I let myself be used to control and enslave them. But your sister, Touko… she was the one who made me realize the truth. All that time, I thought I was the hero of truth… but the reality was that your sister was. I misunderstood the legend, and I caused so many problems. Even so… I want to make it right. I don't want to continue being manipulated to cause suffering – I just want to help make things better again. So I thought, maybe I could come back here… and she would let me make things better. She would let me help." N finished, and took a step back from the door that was barely staying in place. "Will that do? Is that all right, Touyu?"

"It's… Touya." I corrected. It had never even occurred to me N thought he was doing the right thing. I just thought… clearing my throat and trying to shake the questions and confusion away, I inspected the door. "That's… not going to work. But you at least made the effort." I consulted him. His shoulders drooped, and he hung his head like a scolded Lillipup.

"It was a poor effort, if it isn't going to work." N muttered, dejected. "Ah. Perhaps if I pretended to be the door…?"

"You would freak people out." I stated flatly. He sighed, and looked to the Duskull for help. The creature shrugged, indifferent to the situation outside of providing light. "So… you mentioned… something about Team Plasma being officially being gone? Any reason you put it that way…?" That was a reasonable question, right?

"Yes. Officially, they are disbanded. Unofficially… they are still around. Have you ever heard of Team Rocket? Even after they fell apart, there were rogue ex-members still trying to accomplish the original goals. It would be naïve of me to claim Team Plasma is any different… was… any different."

"They were different, though… right?" I asked, finding myself strangely trying to cheer the guy up. First wanted to boot him out, and now I'm trying to correct his self-esteem…

…mom was right in not releasing me out into the wild until I was older if this is how I treat these situations. Though she didn't let me leave the house until later for an entirely different reason.

"I thought they were." N replied miserably. Well this conversation was rapidly turning for the depressing…

"Uhm… s-so… where did the Duskull come from?" Changing the subject solved everything. Everything.

"Mm? Ah, yes… Zoroark, this is Touyu. Touyu, this is Zoroark… while she is using an illusion, that is." N explained, nodding between the two.

"I'm Touya." I corrected for what I hoped was the final time. N gave a sheepish apology, while Zoroark/Duskull bobbed her head in greeting. Maractus jingled from behind, and Liepard gave one of her own friendly trills.

"Yes, it's nice to meet you both as well." N said, his voice sounding considerably warmer towards those two. At least I knew he was being genuine when he talked about doing it for the Pokemon. Apparently the road to the Distortion World is, in fact, paved with good intentions. Reaching around behind me, I searched for Maractus' head and when finding it, gently petted her. The fact she calmed down enough to accept N in here was reassuring. I trusted Maractus' judge of character, especially when she took the time to judge them.

We stood in an awkward, uncomfortable silence. Introductions were over, I knew why he was here, and now all that remained was waiting for everyone else to get home. Touko was better with conversations anyway – and since she knew more about the guy, she could probably cheer him up more easily. And if not, there was always Bianca. That blonde could turn a frown upside down with minimal effort, and all the while not even notice. Still stood by my opinion she needed to become some kind of therapist, be it for people or Pokemon. I checked my C-Gear, and sighed. They were running behind – it was a little past midnight. That was okay though – not like I expected anyone home on the dot.

"They should be here soon." I announced, mostly to fill the silence. In attempt of being playful (but also a little scolding) I continued, "You know, the wait would be easier if you hadn't knocked our power out – we could have watched TV or something."

"Knocked your power out?" N asked, his voice quizzical and his brows furrowing in the red light. "I don't remember doing that… but then, I don't know what knocks power out, either." He continued. "Let's see… Reshiram accidentally knocked into I think a satellite…" That explained the loss of channels. "And when I realized that, I had my friend set me down. But Reshiram landed on something, and then water started spraying us from all directions – much as I dislike doing so, I called Reshiram back into their ball since my friend is not a fan of water…" There was the sprinklers going off. "So I tried pushing them back into the ground, but that didn't work. Then I requested Zoroark for assistance, and she helped me find the front door. That's when I started knocking, and… well, would any of that have cut off power?" He tilted his head slightly to the side, curious. My own brows furrowed.

"Well, no…" I paused, remembering the body flinging into my back door. "Did you run into anything while you were outside? Like… a glass sliding door?"

"I have no recollection of running into anything other that water, I am sorry Touyu… I mean, Touya. Touya." He repeated, frowning. About time he had it.

Wait.

"I'm going to check the fuse box." I murmured, and walked around N and the Duskull illusion to get outside. Was Cheren playing a joke on me? No, it couldn't have been him – if he saw a giant legendary Pokemon crash-landing at my house he would not have been trying to scare me. He would have been racing inside to ensure everything was okay. Which brought me to another thought… how could he have missed _Reshiram_ landing in my backyard? Shivering, I lifted up Liepard who was still trotting daintily after me and Maractus hurried up to stay closer. I heard footsteps behind me, and that familiar eerie glow of the fake Duskull informed me that it was only N.

"Is everything okay?" N asked as he followed after me.

"I'm sure it is." My voice was shaky, but if he noticed he was polite enough to not comment on it. Getting to the fuse box was not some kind of grand, epic quest – it was only on the side of the house, and with the light from the fake Duskull's eye much easier to find. My eyes scanned over it, and I frowned. Normally, there was a lock on the outside to prevent wild Pokemon from playing with it or neighborhood kids from being stupid. Instead, the metal was bent and the lock lay broken on the ground.

"It's not supposed to look like that." N observed, and I resisted the urge to make a sarcastic remark. _He's just trying to be nice and helpful_, I reminded myself. He reached forward, and gently opened the door to look inside.

The fuse box was completely fried. I was surprised the lights even flickered a few minutes' worth of warning from how bad it looked. "Let's get back inside." I murmured, and motioned everyone to follow me. They did as I asked, keeping questions to themselves. When we got back inside, I took a few deep breaths. Everything was okay. It was probably just some wild Pokemon. Probably an electric-type, which is why it wasn't just lying there twitching. Maybe a steel-electric. Magnemites weren't exactly native to Unova, but sometimes trainers from other regions made their way over here… exotic Pokemon were on occasion found wandering about.

Yeah. That was it. Some Magnemite or one of its evolutions was wandering around, destroying fuse boxes. And Cheren was probably getting scolded by some parent, finally found out and that was why he wasn't currently at my house threatening to strangle N. I checked the C-Gear again, and took another deep breath trying to calm myself. Everyone was just running late. There was nothing to worry about. They probably didn't even know it was almost one in the morning now. That was what happened when people had a good time. And being scolded until one in the morning was not unusual. It happened sometimes. Maybe Cheren frightened some child with epilepsy and sent them into a fit, and now he was panicking with the parent about what he did and if the kid was going to be okay.

"…uya? Touya?" I snapped from my thoughts, finally hearing N trying to talk to me. "Touya, are you all right? You're very… pale." He said quietly.

"Yeah, yeah – I'm fine." I brushed him off, and held up a finger for him to be quiet while I attempted to call my sister on her V-Transmitter. Nine rings later, I scowled and slammed it shut. Taking a deep breath, I tried Bianca next. Then Cheren. Then my mom. Finally, every number in the blasted thing. Those I could get a hold of, were groggy and curious why I was calling them in the middle of the night. None of them even remotely knew anything about my friends or family that I hadn't told them personally. Watching me silently the entire time was N, his mouth turning into a thin line. I guess he didn't believe me anymore about being fine. Sighing, I shoved the C-Gear back into my stomach more out of frustration than anything else.

"Touya…" N began, and then hesitated. I motioned for him to just let it out – my patience was wearing thin from being as clueless as I felt helpless in not knowing what was going on. If this was a joke, it wasn't funny. The man tried again, this time clearing his throat. "Touya. Maybe we should go to one of your neighbors…? They might have power. We can wait there." He suggested.

"That's… yes. Good idea." I nodded, already knowing which neighbor we would be going to first. "Come on." I took the lead again, everyone falling beside me. Which was okay – I didn't really want anyone out of sight at the moment. My stride was long and rushed, my reasoning being that the faster we got there the sooner we knew what was going on. Most lights in the little town were completely out, which was odd because usually even the street lights were on at this time of night. It was no longer Halloween, but it still felt just as if it was. We traveled silently, and I stumbled on occasion when we walked because while there was some form of light… it wasn't the best for seeing everything on the ground.

And then the world was plunged in a bright flash.

There were shouts and yells, and Maractus starting Needle Arming anything and everything in a blind defense of me – she kept one arm on me, to ensure she didn't accidentally hit me. Last time she did that… well, she had been extra careful to never do it again. Liepard hissed, and started clawing at whatever was suddenly approaching us. I blinked my eyes rapidly, trying to focus as the light faded and everything was plunged into absolutely darkness. I heard movement all around me, and Zoroark was no longer Duskull because that creepy red light was gone and she was roaring at someone or something. A hand grabbed me, thick and calloused – N. He pulled me forward, and I stumbled over my feet following while trying to yank Maractus with me and calling for Liepard.

"D-don't run so fast!" I gasped, tripping over my feet as I tried to keep up with the other. Maractus made an angry sound, and she was further behind me than I realized – when had she let me go? There was the trotting of little paws following, and I felt reassured at least knowing Liepard was keeping up. N was pulling me harder, moving faster and the more he yanked me along the greater difficulty I had in keeping up. "M-my legs aren't that long! Slow down!" I yelled, the sounds of some kind of scuffling echoing in the background. "Please!"

"Shut up." A male voice snapped – and I froze. He was still pulling me though, and I fell flat on my face, yelping when I skidded a little along the ground. The man dragging me stumbled over himself, and cursed. "Get up." He hissed, and hoisted me up from beneath the shoulders to resume running.

"Who are you?" I asked, trying to wriggle my hand free and pull away. The fall left me scratched and bruised, but nothing worth worrying about for the moment. None of the scratches were big enough to be worried about for awhile.

"I said, _shut up_. Now keep moving." He hissed. I shook my head, and tried to wretch my arm free – he just yanked me forward and I stumbled along whether I wanted to or not. I couldn't take another fall like that.

"Liepard…?" I asked worriedly, hoping those paws trotting along were hers. A Liepard responded, but it wasn't the one from home. I shivered, fear crawling up and down my spine. A strange man was dragging me off into the night. We stumbled along, my arm feeling sore and aching from how hard he was pulling me and my whole body wasting energy in shaking and trying to pull away. My free hand tried reaching towards my pocket to grab one of my other Pokemon, but Liepard scratched my head away. Yelping, my hand retracted and I instinctively pressed the injury to my side. That wasn't going to do me any good, but it was still a reassuring motion.

As we continued along I asked, "Wh-where are we going?" With how much my voice cracked and shook, I sounded like a pubescent boy. I was seventeen – way past the voice cracking point. The man grunted, offering my no response and that simply scared me further. Against my will, a whimper came out. I didn't want to die. I didn't want to find out what this man had planned, or where we would end up. I just wanted to know where everyone was – that was all. Was that so wrong? The wind began to pick up, and it's kind of funny the things that run through your mind at moments like these. I wondered if the weather man had mentioned any storms for the next day. What my sister mentioned to N about me. If the people I called were sleeping well, or lying there wondering if something was wrong.

And then fire burst around us, flames curling and flicking at us like a threatening beast. The man jumped back, knocking me into the ground again. The Lipard hissed, pouncing in front of her trainer in a protective stance. Light now there, I could see the man – he had unbrushed red hair, wild and untousled. There was stubble all along his chin, and thick sideburns. He wore a dirty uniform, tatty and ripped everywhere. Most of the colours were gone beneath dirt and grime, but on his chest I could just barely make out an insignia – Team Plasma.

What did Team Plasma want with me?

"Touya! Are you okay?" N – that was definitely N's voice. I look up, and Zoroark jumped down from Reshiram's back. Sitting behind N were Maractus and Liepard, the latter jumping down after with her fur sticking up. The grunt and his Pokemon stumbled backwards, glancing between the flames and the other Pokemon. Without a sound, Zoroark simply scooped me up with Liepard jumping into my arms, purring and mewling at me. Reshiram lowered itself, blue eyes swiveling between me and the grunt. The man made no move to stop them, frozen by its gaze. The illusionist Pokemon carried me and Liepard onto the legendary's back, and once we were all aboard Reshiram lifted off to leave the man and his Pokemon there.

I couldn't stop shaking, but Zoroark was nice enough to simply pull me closer into her chest – treating my trembling like it simply meant I was cold, instead of terrified. Saying nothing, I moved closer and enjoyed the warmth and reassuring presence. "…Touya?" N tried again, and I snapped my head up.

"Y-yes?" My voice squeaked, and I didn't care.

"Are you… are you all right?" N asked softly, turning his head slightly so he could watch me. There was no light aside from the stars, but there was still a soft glow – Reshiram's tail, fire flickering from the turbine.

"...I'm… I'm not sure." I stammered, still shaking. Still bleeding. Still bruised and uncomfortable. Checking myself, I shivered. Still in my Halloween costume. Didn't expect anything like this to happen, and all of my desmopressin was at home. It took extra effort to not vomit.

"…your sister mentioned to me that you were… that is, you… Touya, are you injured?" When he asked that, my trembling stopped momentarily. Touko told him. He knew. That was… relieving, in its own way. That saved a lot of explaining.

"Yeah. Hemophilia A. I got a few… cuts, and I'm a little bruised… but… if we stop by a center or something, they can give me some DDAVP. I'll be fine until then." I assured him. N was silent, but he nodded his head. I didn't want there to be silence. Not after all of that. I wanted to hear a friendly voice, even if it wasn't exactly familiar. "N… do you… do you know why they did that?"

"I have some guesses." N's voice sounded pained, confused. "After that, I don't expect you to trust me. But after we get that… D and D stuff… if you want, we can try going to where your sister and everyone was. I think they were at your house because… your sister is the main reason for Team Plasma's fall, and they were after there. But you were there instead. I don't know if my suddenly being there encouraged, or discouraged what they decided to do. Or what they planned to do. Or if they changed their plans… or… I'm sorry Touya. I'm not… if I was, I would… I'm sorry."

"…that's fine, N." I tried to offer him a smile, even if it was a shaky one. "Let's just… get the factor VIII concentrates. That's easier to remember for you, right?" At my words, he gave a half-smile of his own.

While we flew, I slowly drifted off to sleep… wanting and hoping everyone was okay.


	2. Winter Solstice Part 1

"It's a mistletoe." The woman stated for the second time.

"Yes. I am familiar with that flora." I informed her as politely and as patiently as I could. She put her hands on her hips, and narrowed her eyes at me. Her hair was a soft, natural red though there was a green streak of false hair clipped in near the roots for a decorative touch. Standing off to the side was Touya, awkwardly looking away.

"…when you step underneath it with someone else, you're supposed to share a kiss." The woman stated.

"And I am familiar with that tradition." I added. I knew what she wanted, but I was hardly comfortable doing it. And I was certain if I ever considered Touya my first human friend, I no longer did because he was a terrible one just letting me deal with this on my own.

"Well?" She leaned in closer.

"Supposing to and having to are two very different words, ma'am with drastically different meanings and as I am in something of a hurry I would be most grateful and pleased if you would permit this case of 'supposing' to off and accepting that this is a rare event in which neither of us partake in this holiday tradition that doesn't really make sense especially when you take into account that kissing complete strangers during a time of year in which diseases are most commonly caught and spread practically guarantees some sort of epidemic sweeping the surroundings area and I would rather not be associated with becoming a cause and instead I think it would be beneficial if we both agreed we are doing the community a favor by not-"  
>"He and I are boyfriends and he is not interested in women." Touya finally blurted at light speed, his face a scarlet red again. The woman and I stared at him, each of us trying to register that blurb that came spilling out of his mouth.<p>

"…oh." Figuring it out first, the woman turned her own shade of red before walking away in an embarrassed fluster. Then I figured it out, and blushed as well.

"Touya!"

"You wouldn't shut up!" The brunet squeaked in response.

"You lied to her!" I hissed, looking around before hurrying to stand next to the other again. Angry, hushed whispers became our tones.

"Sh-she wouldn't go away! A-and I don't think she was going to accept any of your other excuses!"

"They weren't excuses, they were facts that I was utilizing in a discussion to persuade her to my side in an attempt to get out of a situation I was not comfortable with and that until you _lied_ you were refusing to help me in!"

"What, did you want me to go over there and kiss her in your place?"

"Yes!"

"No! I'm not doing that for you!"

"I noticed!" As people walked by us two, occasionally they would exchange quizzical glances but otherwise we were left alone to bicker. This wasn't the first time we had this argument. I fervently do not approve of lying in any way shape or form, regardless of the reasons behind it but Touya insists on keep doing and I suppose in a fashion it bothers me immensely because I worry he's lying to me as well and…

Squeals of small children interrupted us, running past with frightened cries and squawks as an ice beam trailed into nothing. The brunet and I looked at each other, and then raced forward to try and spot where it came from. _Are we under attack…?_ Part of me hoped not, but another part hoped so – it meant we were in the right area for a change. Another ice beam, this time aiming at an entirely different section of town. My first instinct was to see where it was aiming, which was a Gigalith – Touya's actually. I frowned, watching the creature scamper across the snow and distantly I could hear his curses.

Next to me Touya groaned, and took off. Blinking, I raced after. The shovels we had originally being carrying after asking someone to borrow them lay discarded and forgotten beneath the mistletoe in the snow.

The brunet ran towards a false tree in the town's center, and he skidded to a halt at its base. "Cryagonal! Get down here!" He yelled, raising a fist and then pointing down at the ground. Glancing up, I sighed spotting the Pokemon nestled comfortably atop the tree like a star ornament. The creature gave an icy grin down at the brunet, but made no move to come down. Biting my lower lip, I tried my best to be a good boy and not laugh at Touya. There was an ongoing war between the two as to who the real trainer was – personally I thought it was Cryogonal, but I refrained from openly making these remarks to the brunet. Instead, I generally stayed out of it. After seeing this a few times, I knew well-enough that Touya would do nothing to harm his friend and that his friend in return would not harm him. Cause him some minor grief and embarrassment, yes, but certainly no harm.

"Crygonal!" Touya whined, hopping up as if he could jump high enough to reach the creature. The action did nothing to sway the creature. At least the attention got him to stop ice beaming children and Gigalith for the moment. "It's already cold enough here, people don't need your assistance!" From atop the tree I heard the creature's casual response, _I'm happy to help them suffer though_. I held up one hand to stifle the beginnings of my laughter. Naturally, the brunet had no idea what he said so simply continued, "They don't need any of that! Getdownhere!"

"You should really work on your techniques of persuasion." I chuckled, and started to laugh harder when Touya tried to glare at me.

"Sh-shut up! Fine, you get him to come down! He's going to draw too much attention!" He pointed out. Still snickering some, I looked up at Cryogonal.

"Could you please come down? Touya and I would be most appreciative if you did, unless you're up there trying to spot something or someone of use?" I would be lying if I said I took no pleasure in finding a means to justifying Cryogonal staying up there just a little bit longer to annoy Touya. Leaning to one side, the creature considered my words, mulling over them. Finally, _I see squat up here. _That said, he hopped down from the top branches. While Cryogonals have no actual genders, much like Reshiram… this one in particular, unlike Reshiram, actually liked having a male pronoun attached to it. "Thank you." I smiled broadly at Crygonal, who gave me his equivalent to a toothy grin in response. I suppose we were comrades in driving the brunet crazy.

"…thanks. _Both_ of you," Touya remarked, and gave me a pointed look as if I was going to go on an hour-long rant about how rude it would have been of him to only express gratitude towards me.

I would have shortened it to thirty minutes.

"You're welcome." I smiled, and Cryogonal gave his version of a bow which mostly just consisted of his body leaning forward. Glancing at me briefly, Touya sighed and started to walk back towards the shovels to leave myself and the Pokemon behind. _He used to be funnier,_ Cryogonal commented and began to hover over the snow in an aimless direction. "I don't believe you method of cheering him up is very effective." The ice-type glanced at me. _That's because he doesn't think it's as hilarious as I do when people slip on ice and bust their ass,_ he remarked in response. My lips quirked slightly. _See! You have a proper sense of humor…_ coming from Cryogonal, I knew he intended it as a compliment but I wasn't sure if from any other perspective it could be viewed as such.

Deciding against dwelling on it, I hurried after Touya. Part of me felt guilty, always pressuring the brunet into letting his Pokemon roam around when we stopping in any particular area while simultaneously keeping Reshiram inside its Pokeball. But Reshiram insisted on not minding, and it was for the best – a giant dragon furnace was pretty noticeable. At least Zoroark had the freedom to roam thanks to her ability to alter her shape. Nearing the area beneath the bridge, I attempted to offer Touya another smile in hopes he wouldn't give me the silent treatment (which he sometimes did when I annoyed him more than usual). Carrying both shovels, he was walking at a rapid pace while approaching me. Frowning slightly, I squinted trying to see what was wrong. His face was beat red, and behind him I was almost certain that was the woman from earlier…

"Walk fast, walk fast, walk fast, walk _fast_!" Touya hissed, pressing my shovel into my hands while doing a power walk towards the old woman's home. Perplexed but not wanting to question it, I followed after with long strides. It took little time to reach our destination, and Touya hurriedly began working at the snow. Maintaining my silence, I set about helping as well… though I was not entirely sure where to put the snow once shoveling it up. Following by example, I tossed my collection in the same pile as where Touya put his.

"…sorry about that." He finally murmured. Nodding my head, I tried to concentrate on the work. Several minutes later he piped up, "I've been wondering… N. How long have you and Zoroark been friends?"

"Fourteen years, five months, and thirteen days." I said automatically. The sound of the other shovel paused, and I could feel brown eyes staring at me.

"That's… oddly specific." Touya noted.

"You should be used to that by now." I answered in a bored fashion.

"…how did you meet?" He asked hesitantly. My turn to pause arrived, and I looked over at him. He stood there, leaning on his shovel and curiously looking at me.

"Why do you suddenly want to know?" I didn't mind answering, exactly. It happened long ago, and while those scars still remained the pain had since dwindled to where I could discuss it even with Zoroark within hearing range without either of us minding. But, the inquiry seemed too sudden for me to be able to pass it off as a random question that he was asking simply to pass the time. Not to mention, if there was no cause behind it then why stop shoveling snow?

"I don't know much about you, or Zoroark." Touya answered. "You always know what to say to my Pokemon without even trying, and pretty much any others you meet… and my mother always told me our experiences with Pokemon in childhood shape how well we understand and treat them when we're older… and you two seemed so close, I was wondering…"

"How Zoroark shaped me?" I finished for him. Thinking on his mother's words, I did wonder. How had Zoroark changed me? "…we met because her original trainer was trying to breed her at a very, very young age… her egg didn't make it, and she barely did. Her original trainer, she… left Zorua to die. Probably thought Zorua was already dead, and was too ashamed to try and take her to a Center to heal her in case she wasn't. I found her by accident. I was chasing a Ducklett my… my father had brought home, to take care of its broken wing.

She tried to bite me. I wasn't her trainer, and I was a human… and a human had left her in pain, in suffering, in death. But she was too weak, and I was able to carry her back home. We were barely able to save her. Zorua was grateful, she knew what we did for her. She wanted to say thank you… so she took a human form like mine, and tried to learn how to speak. Through me, she learned to speak human when she has a human's vocal chords… through her, I learned to listen. Pokemon understand our words, but cannot speak them. But we never listen to what they say, so most people never understand them. But she taught me how. So I suppose… she changed me, in showing me that open communication between all accomplishes and means more than just a one-sided dialogue." Stopping there, I took a deep breath and blew it out.

Even now, I could still remember each and every Pokemon I saved or tried to save.

"...I always thought Touko was pulling my leg about that." Touya said softly. "That you could understand Pokemon. I suppose I've been watching you do it all this time, but I just guessed it was coincidence…" Reaching over, I tousled his hair.

"Well. Now that you know my life story, what's yours? What Pokemon shaped you?" I asked, reciprocating the inquiry. The brunet gave a sheepish smile.

"It isn't quite as interesting as yours… when Touko and I were seven, my mom brought home two Purrloins. She said she wanted to teach us to respect Pokemon, and Purrloins tend to scratch you if you do something they don't like. So we learned pretty quick through our mom and the Purrloins how to treat a Pokemon with respect and care. Of course, the sister became a bit lazy over time… but you know Liepard isn't so bad." He shrugged.

"What of the other Purrloin? Or Liepard…" I wasn't sure if the other one evolved – Touya hadn't exactly been clear.

"Her brother passed away five years ago of a brain tumor." Touya answered flatly, and then went back to shoveling snow. My lips became a thin line, and while I wondered at that reaction I didn't bother to press further. So instead I tried to think of where we could go from here, once we finished doing this for the old woman. Honestly, I figured we could just get out of it – but no, Touya said it was rude to just leave without doing the favor she requested after letting us stay with her last night… and then there was the information.

Last night the old woman looked to me. "You wanted to know about the monster? Well, it's pretty basic. There's a horrible, huge monster that terrorizes our town. Has for generations. According to legends, it's been around since Unova was born. A horrible monster, one of the creatures left behind by the higher design on accident. It just hungers, it just craves. If it catches you outside at night, it eats you to fill the nothingness that is its soul.

No one's seen it in years, though. And travelers have been coming through more and more often for the winter and summer festivals. Hardly anyone believes it really exists, but still we stay inside. It's one of the bedtime stories that lingers in the back of your mind, the kind that every time someone goes missing and is never found we wonder… _was it the monster?_ Yes, we're very superstitious, but beneath that is a raw fear. Sometimes, in the summer for no reason it'll snow. Anyone who wanders to the Giant Chasm never returns. Maybe they get lost. Maybe get trapped, and can never get out.

A few tourists like yourselves have been trickling in the past few days. I try and warn 'em. Any of them listen? Nope." And with that, she leaned back with a satisfied smile.

"…what about this monster? Does anyone know what it looks like?" Touya asked, enthralled by the story.

"They say it's a gray beast of great stature, and a mouth wide enough to swallow a full-grown person whole." The woman replied with a soft nod. The sarcastic demeanor was gone, and I wondered if she was joking or dead-serious. Judging by her expression, she believed in this tale far more than she initially let on. If that was the case, she truly felt she was saving lives by inviting us in instead of offering us a place to stay with a false tale simply to achieve a goal of earning some free help in caring for her home but on the flipside that was probably a nice benefit in her eyes though I wondered if the free help wasn't a higher motivation than the good feeling one got when doing a kindness for another living creature I guess I could have asked but how would I been able to without Touya being so… Touya.

There was no other way to describe the brunet at this point. Our heads collided often, and I was regularly reminded that just because he was Touko's twin that did not mean they had to have anything further in common. But they both had the same look on their faces when they listened to me, though the reasons for those expressions varied. Touko always opened her ears to my words when I spoke of my truths, of my hopes and dreams. On the other hand, her brother only seemed interested when I talked about myself or my friends. For him, my interests in obtaining equality amongst humans and Pokemon were irrelevant – they were a part of me but not what made me who I was. Instead, my experiences, the creatures I surrounded myself with… all of these were factors he cared about.

And then sometimes he threw me off entirely. Touko opposed me, she was my opposite in almost every sense of the word. Without even speaking, I knew what she was thinking and feeling. But with Touya, I assumed I knew his response and then instead he would make a statement that I neither expected nor knew how to respond to try hard as I would to find a way so as to not appear a fool. For example, the other day I began a conversation about the two brothers who separated the entity that was before Zekrom and Reshiram became individuals. Trying to make conversation while also understanding my traveling companion better I remarked that they say the descendents of the brothers continued to fight over who was right or wrong, and then asked if he thought this implicated there was a relation between us.

"Just taking the possibility of there being a familial relation of blood origins between us into consideration and wondering your thoughts on it. It would be interesting and certainly a case of repeated history if relatives for generation after generation argued the points of truths and ideals, with no real conclusion being reached due to a refusal on each side to never concede the other's opinion. Of course, there is always a right answer to each question but neither of ours seem to really work for the other, but I am digressing immensely. The point is, if I were related to yourself and Touko I would not mind but I suppose in a rather roundabout way I am asking if you would mind by basing my assessments of what you think on your response but you seem rather groggy and less than inclined to give me any real direct reply." Had been my more in-depth statement when he seemed hesitant to give any real response.

"N… to whatever you just said, I think I would rather just…" He had furrowed his brows, trying to think of the right word. "…just call you a friend, than a family member." My eyes widened slightly, surprised the other would use that term in reference to me. "And did you ever take into consideration a truth and an ideal could be the same thing based on interpretation?"

"…it… what? Touya, I don't…" I was flustered – a _human_ friend? The thought was something of a novelty, I had to admit. Never before had I been able to call a fellow human being a friend. There had been the Grunts, who were servants… the Sages, who were guides… and then Pokemon, who were friends. Did I consider Touya a friend? That was the question of the night, as I had no idea. Never even taken it into consideration. Touya was just Touko's brother, someone I was helping and traveling with. Though, I did like having Touya'd approval. Did human friendships function in the same way Pokemon ones did?

I still knew not what to make of his words. How could a truth and an ideal be the same thing based on interpretation? And did he genuinely consider me a friend, or did he simply prefer to call me one for fear that if we were related he would have finally found that shameful black sheep of the family? These were inquiries I wished to make of him, but I did not for fear he would laugh at me or even worse – say something that confused and bewildered me further. And then there would be more questions and so many variables in a single equation I would be hopelessly groping around in the dark trying to find hints and formulas to find some miniature hope of solving this puzzle that was Touya.

We finished up shoveling soon after, and all that remained was to give the shovels back. And then we could investigate the town and ask about this influx of tourists. Apparently it was normal for the weeks leading up to the winter solstice to have many come in, as there was an on-going festival. Yesterday was apparently a day dedicated to indulging their gluttony and lusted for altered mental states as much of the people were drinking heavily. The streets were filled with children and a small selection of adults, likely the only ones that were not so hung-over they could not stand the squeals of the boys and girls. Today people were supposed to exchange gifts, but how I figured it since we were transient visitors there was no need to bother with such things. Although, I probably should see if there was time to get something special for Reshiram and Zoroark…

Would Touya get something for his friends? All of them, or merely some of them? Shortly after we escaped on… the holiday was Halloween, yes… shortly after that, when we finally got a chance, he switched them out with an explanation that I still only partially understood. On one hand, I could understand not wanting to bring Frillish along since sending water-types that lived in the water onto land was cruel and unusual as while Unova has coastlines all around and a few island properties there were other Pokemon that were better suited to the dominance of land locations but could still function in water just fine. I did not understand his reasoning for putting Golett, such a polite Pokemon, into the box very well. But Touya just stared at me gravely and said, "Trust me." I find it difficult to trust anyone who stores their Pokemon into the box system like some kind of hoarder that just collects and collects simply in order to obtain some fancy certificate that says they spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars on various Pokeballs and captured wild creatures that deserved to live freely rather than be trapped at some woman's home named Amanita that may have been taking questionable care of the Pokemon and well I said all of that but Touya only rolled his eyes and told me most of the Pokemon he called his own didn't happen intentionally. I'm still a bit unclear as to what that means.

"Shall we split up and ask around?" Touya asked me as we headed back to the man who lent us the shovels so long as we were quiet about it. Rather knock and disturb him, we set the shovels in front of his door.

"No." I said, shaking my head and knocking some stray snowflakes out of my hair. Considering something, I nodded my head. "We'll stick together and ask people, and to cover more ground I'll ask Zoroark to assist. She's good at what she does." Touya looked ready to say something, but I waved him off. My old subordinates were after him, their reason not necessarily clear but I had no doubt their motives were dangerous. They would not harm a Pokemon, but they were willing to harm a person. My best guesses were that they wanted Touko's brother as a hostage because he did not have the protection his sister did – a legendary Pokemon that held no remorse in protecting one it felt worthy of its power.

If they had Touya as a hostage, Touko would be forced to tell Zekrom to back down so her brother remained unharmed and then endure what punishment they felt inflicting upon someone they blamed for Plasma's downfall… even though that was not her fault. She simply exposed all that was corrupting it from within, and ultimately it was me and my father's error that destroyed something with so much potential. I let him corrupt it, and he did so with no remorse.

Or, they just wanted to kill Touya as her punishment. Either way, I would not let them harm Touko and I would not tolerate the execution of an innocent who had nothing to do with any of this. So even if neither of us liked it, I would not permit Touya to walk around by himself. He was not a poor trainer, and his Pokemon were strong… but their strength was not enough when overwhelmed by sheer numbers or underhanded tactics that were they still in Team Plasma they never would have implemented.

Arceus… how far had these men and women fallen?

Giving a high-pitched whistle, a few heads (mostly Pokemon) whipped in our direction. Next to me, Touya looked around as if he had nothing to do with me. This was nothing new. Neither of us had to wait long before a Liepard came bounding towards us, hopping through the snow. I smiled, knowing this was Zoroark in disguise – Touya's friend was not nearly so inclined to frolicking unless there was a promise of warm arms scooping her up. Their spots were also in different places.

Slowing to a trot, Zoroark stopped at me feet and looked up at me curiously. Bending down, I leaned in close to her ears. "Touya and I are going to ask around about the tourists that have been showing up lately. You heard the old woman last night, correct? She mentioned there were a lot of them… and those people in Nimbasa led us here, even if they didn't know it. Would you mind helping us in asking around?" Taking a few steps back, Zoroark nodded her purple head. Beaming at her, I thanked her and stood once more. "All right. I guess starting at the Pokemon Center would be best – most people stay there, yes?"

"I thought we were supposed to avoid them." Touya teased as we started heading that way.

"Yes, well we can only avoid them so much. Are you good?" I disliked discussing his hemophilia – mostly because I only remembered half the time, since I always believed someone with it would be anemic half the time and the brunet was a rather energetic person. At least he never seemed bothered talking about it.

"I'm not running low on DDAVP if that's what you're asking." Touya answered with a grin. "But I'll get some more, just in case we don't get a chance later." Hearing that, I relaxed some. My initial curiosity when I found out in the beginning led to me understanding a few things about it better, but not entirely. Such as when he was younger, he had received several transfusions because his mother did not believe in stopping him from being a kid. From this apparently stemmed some sort of inside joke within his local community about him being a vampire, since he received blood donations from various adults there. This was… a peculiar fact to me. That growing up, other people's blood was pumped into him on such a regular occasion he was unbothered by it. And yet… and yet he was squeamish.

Entering the Pokemon Center, I quickly took a few steps to remain behind Touya. There was a great deal of people, most of which were cradling some kind of drink while the remainder were maintain quiet conversations with each other. Come to think of it, it was about lunchtime… I noticed there were several plates of food, with the local nurses rushing around to ensure everyone was fed – human and Pokemon. With a casual gait, the brunet walked straight up to the front to talk with the only nurse maintaining the front desk still. As those two began their exchange regarding his medicine, I let my eyes wander around to try and pick out any suspicious actions or familiar faces.

Frowning slightly at not seeing a single familiar one, I hoped this was not another dead end.

"…you know what I've been worrying about?" Touya asked me last night. I made a small sound of interest, knowing he liked having acknowledgment before continuing in saying his thoughts. "What if none of those places were deadends, N? We don't know what they're trying to do…"

"They were deadends because they want Touko." I tried to explain patiently. Now, in the afternoon and looking around I wondered why he even asked that. It unnerved me, because now that the seed had been planted I was curious as well. What if they weren't deadends? If that was the case, what did it mean? Had we missed Touko somehow?

Sighing, Touya tapped me back into the present. "All set." He informed me, shaking his head.

"You do the talking." I nudged him forward, and he rolled his eyes at me. Making our rounds in the Pokemon Center was relatively easy, as most the people inside didn't seemed inclined on carrying a long-winded conversation. Most answers were straight to the point because they wanted the conversation to end quickly, though there were a few that resisted heavily. The only really eventful thing that happened was a few men invited us to join them for lunch, and after several pressing requests the two of us simultaneously decided to end the discussion rudely and simply leave to talk elsewhere. I didn't personally care for some of the comments they made as we were leaving, and judging by how red Touya's face got neither did he.

Wrapping up there, we went outside to ask people we saw. With luck, the locals would have more reliable information that any of the tourists still recovering did. By around four, both of us were hungry and our leads were as empty as our stomachs. "I think we asked everyone in town." Touya whined.

"One more walk-through. And by then, it'll be nightfall and we'll just stay with that woman and have dinner there. Maybe we'll get find something…" His visage told me he doubted that very much.

"N… we're not cut out for this detective work." He concluded.

"Are you giving up?" My words were quiet. Part of me didn't want to leave him somewhere that I couldn't keep a close eye on him. Perhaps this was my idea of redemption, my apology to Touko.

"No. Just thinking we should find out how to go about this in a smarter way." He explained with a shrug. My mind wandered to the Shadow Triad of my father, and my shoulders slumped. They had always been kind to me – but in the end, they chose Ghetsis over me. Somewhere out there, I knew they were trying to find a way to break him free from jail. Would they succeed? Was this related…? "Shit, it's that woman again." Touya murmured, and started nudging me to go with him away from her. My eyes widened.

"Touya, we haven't spoken to her yet!" I pointed out. He wavered, not wanting to go near her but there was a hope in there that maybe… I decided to jump on that hope. "She might have seen _something_. She's practically been loitering in that spot near the mistletoe all day, getting every man that's walked underneath it to give her a kiss-"

"Except us,"

"…yes, yes except us. But if anyone noticed something weird, wouldn't it be her? What's the worst that could happen? If she knows anything, yes it may be uncomfortable giving a kiss to a woman that neither of us are attracted to and somewhat repulsed by the possibility that somewhere in today's festive emotionally void kisses there's the start of a horrible flu to be spread but if she were to know something, anything…" I pleaded. The wavering ended, and he stopped trying to pull us both in the opposite direction. "Good." Satisfied, we hurried over to where she was. The woman spotted us both, and gave a quizzical smile. "Good afternoon ma'am, we have returned in hopes of some type of exchange." She became confused.

"H-he wants to know if you've seen a group of… strange-acting tourists today…" Touya chirped up, shifting from one leg to the next uncomfortably. The woman looked between both of us, and raised a brow. "O-other than us, that is…"

"Define strange-acting." The woman sighed, crossing her arms and expectantly looking between us.

"They function in only group rather than individual settings and have a tendency of intentionally sharing similar physical appearances such as dying their hair the same colour and wearing identical of matching outfits to emphasize that they are different from the world but the same as one another and are immensely rude and derogatory to people they meet though show a kindness around people's Pokemon they also alternate between whispers and forced conversation as though trying to cover up something." I tried to explain, without having to blatantly saying, "They're basically Team Plasma members that aren't members anymore." That never worked.

"…You must be one hell of a kisser, being able to talk like that without having to stop for a breath. He do that all day?" The woman asked, turning to Touya before grinning. "And am I right?"

…oh. Right. This was the woman he _lied_ to about us being a couple. I tried to not relish his discomfort too much, as I understood this meant I would either have to tell her the truth or go along with a lie. But telling the truth meant she would flirt with me again, and that seemed about as bad as lying suddenly…

"So did you spot anyone like that?" He asked instead, averting eye contact and trying to skip her questions to get our answers. Teach him to lie. Pursing her lips at his dodge, she shook her head before holding it up high.

"Well right now I'm spotting a couple _beneath_ a mistletoe and doing nothing." She pressured. Simultaneously Touya and I looked up. And there it was. That accursed flower. Never before in my entire life had I loathed a single flora more than that one. Our heads went back down, glanced at each other, and then the woman.

"We don't do PDA, only PSA." Touya informed her, paling despite the cold. I learned in closer to him.

"What's the difference?"

"PDA is public display of affection, and PSA is public service announcement. You're good at that one." Touya whispered to me in response. I learned something new today.

"Fine." The woman snapped. "You offered an exchange? Then let's do that. This is a tradition you're _both_ trying to get out of, and I will not have it. Only once a year can I get kisses from men that aren't half-wrinkled or have mouths buried beneath beards that have been growing for probably longer than either of you have been around. You're _not_ taking this away from me. I can tell you about any and every strange tourist I've seen come through this year, and we've gotten an influx this year in the level of strange.

You want to know about it? Then we're all kissing each other. Take it or leave it."

"…at the same time?" Touya asked, scrunching up his nose.

"At different times." She clarified, and her eyes sweeped between both of us.

"One moment." I pulled the brunet off to the side with me. "Well? Do you think she knows anything?"

"She might." Touya murmured, still pale. "If she doesn't, I'm going to hate myself though…"

"As will I. But if she does know something, it'll be worth it… right?"

"Of course it will!" Touya scowled. I smiled, seeing he was a little more willing. Good, if he could do it I could.

So long as I tried to stop my brain from trying to calculate just how many different varieties of germs were currently calling that woman's mouth home. By no means do I suffer from mysophobia (popularly known as germaphobia), but kissing that woman made me as uncomfortable as shaking hands with a whore because I had no idea when that hand (or in this case mouth) was last washed.

We walked back to her. "Okay." Touya told her. "And… and will you tell us if you've seen two girls traveling together, one blonde and one brunette?" There was a quick nod that yes, she would. Excited the two that had gotten away from her earlier were now agreeing to make up for running away.

Touya was first, and I already felt nauseous I was next. I will not remark on that kiss, because I would prefer to not have it any further ingrained into my memory that it already is. But the woman did discover that not, I had never really kissed anyone before and unfortunately I could hold my breath for a long time.

Feeling rather violated, I gathered all my willpower to not wipe my mouth or vomit. My disgust was not unnoticed, mostly because I was trying to stop myself from spitting up bile. "Well, I guess you weren't lying about the not being into woman thing…" She observed, tapping her finger on her cheek. "All right, now you two."  
>If this didn't count towards redeeming myself after all of the people and Pokemon I caused pain to by refusing to see reality, admittedly I'm finding myself afraid of what will. The two of us just stared awkwardly at each other, and then at the woman. Tapping her fingers, she waited as if she had all the time in the world.<p>

"On the count of three?" Touya asked, cringing slightly. I nodded. "One… two… three." We tried a quick peck to the lips, but we both misjudged the distance the other could cover and I found myself accidentally mashing my lips into his eyes and his hit my throat. We pulled away, me gasping for air and him fervently rubbing his eye. A few feet away, the woman was howling in cackles at our failed attempt. "Th-that counts, right?" Touya asked.

"Here, let _me_ help you there." Snickering, she walked over and put her hand on the back of both of our hands, fingers sliding through our hair until she had a good enough hold to guide our faces. Our eyes widened, horrified. And then she pushed our faces together, and I squeezed my eyes shut not wanting to see Touya _that_ up close. At least our lips hit their targets this time, and while immensely uncomfortable the level wasn't nearly the same as my first with the woman. Both of our mouths were awkwardly puckered, and I began counting Mareep until the woman felt satisfied and let us free. Stumbling back from each other, redder than either of us ever have been before, the woman nodded her approval at us.

"Good. Now you," The woman looked at Touya. "You look like a chocolate-covered cherry, you know that? I hope this teaches you to not lie to cougars. And you," She swiveled on me and I immediately tensed. "You match the decorations brilliantly. Never seen a man with green hair blush, so thank you for that. I hope this teaches you to not ditch on your responsibility to tradition." Pleased with her announcements, she took a deep breath.

"Okay. A group of tourists have taken to camping out near the Giant Chasm. Occasionally they'll come into town to get food, and then they just… hang around, watching people. We've tried warning them about the monster that dwells there, but none of them listen. They just tell me they know and they don't care. They're weird, too. Kind of match your description, but not completely. They look different, but they… take better care of their Pokemon than themselves. A scrawny lot, them tourists.

As for the two girls… can't say I have. Seen a few blondes, seen a few brunettes… but not just a brunette with a blonde, and both being girls. Sorry." The woman shrugged.

"Err… th-thanks. For answering us, I mean." Touya stammered, still red. With a swift nod, she began making shooing motions.

"Now get, before you make the other men think I'm some kind of sexual harasser." There was no need for further shooing, we began walking as quickly from her as we could.

"…thanks for not throwing up on me." Touya murmured as we headed back to the old woman's house. I gave my whistle, knowing Zoroark would want to regroup with us now that we had another lead. Finally.

"It was my way of apologizing for spitting in your eye." I muttered.

"Oh. Sorry for almost choking you." He amended.

"Quite all right. Shall we never speak of this again?" I requested.

"Agreed. What beautiful weather we have…" He trailed, and a small smile quirked at the corner of my mouth.

"Indeed. I love it when I'm so cold I can't feel anything." I stated. Looking around, I frowned when not seeing the arrival of… well, anyone. On the off-chance she had not heard me the first time, I whistled a second time. Touya's hands immediately covered his ears, my second one being higher in pitch and more piercing. Frowning, he looked around as well.

"Where is she?"

"I don't know." A small panic began to rise, so I took a deep breath to calm myself. She was probably caught up in conversation with someone while disguised as a human, and now attempting to politely leave. It was still beyond me how she became so adept at being charismatic with people while I… still had ways to go.

"I'll go see if any of my Pokemon have seen her," Touya started to jog off, but stumbled backwards slightly when I grabbed hold of his arm.

"We'll go together." I said stiffly. If the tourists that woman was talking about were ex-members, then I really couldn't permit Touya to wander around alone. Especially now, when his friends were scattered all over the town. He frowned at me, sighed, and remained where he was. "Thank you. Now, let's find her together."

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> I do not own, nor have any affiliation with, Pokemon or its offshoots. This is merely a fanfic I am having far too much fun with.  
><strong>AN:** A few fun facts for you guys. Firstly, I don't think anyone noticed Touya's Maractus is actually a shiny Maractus. I was curious if anyone would, but apparently not. The next fun fact is that if any of you have heard of "Desmopressin" before are either mildly familiar with hemophilia, a type of "water diabetes," or you know a bed-wetter. One of those meds with lots of fun uses! Lastly, yes there is a bad joke with Touya having hemophilia - if he ever needed a donation N could... pfffttt... donate some of his _blood plasma_ to him... pfffttt... oh gods, I'm so bad at being witty... why do I fail so hard at life...?  
>On a serious note, I didn't want to do a Christmas-themed chapter because... well, I think half the population will be doing that for me. Besides, in a world that worships Arceus the whole concept of Christianity doesn't... make sense. So I couldn't logically justify doing it. Instead, I am having them doing festivals for a winter solstice, and gift exchanging along with typical decorating the town for those who felt that wasn't "holiday" enough. There actually should be another update this month, given I have time.<p> 


	3. Winter Solstice Part 2

The snow was deep, and each step sent a chill up my spine to remind my numb body there were still traces left of feeling. My clothes weren't up to the task in this much snow, my pants constantly alternating between wet and frozen while my jacket was wrapped around me so tightly I wondered if it went around my body twice instead of the once. Goosebumps riddled my skin, and I felt like my skeleton was going to shake right out of my skin from how hard I was shivering. My entire team was with N and I, and the second they were the both of us asked around. For a change N did most of the talking, as he knew the physical appearance Zoroark took when she gave herself a human form.

We were directed to the Giant Chasm.

I was still hungry, and as night fell early the cold was seeping in deeper. I wasn't going to complain though. We were following our lead, and hopefully we would find Zoroark in the process. I really, really hoped so… but it was odd. Neither of us, N and I, could imagine her following the trail without first consulting him. Yet, would anyone who used to be part of Team Plasma really force a Pokemon to go anywhere against their will? N said they wouldn't. I wasn't so sure, but then my experiences with them consisted primarily of N and the ones that tried to drag me off. At that memory, I shuddered.

The travel from Lacunosa to the Giant Chasm was inhibited mostly because most of the townspeople could plainly see us walking in that direction. There were enough threats that we would get eaten to give me nightmares for the next couple of months. For some reason, I kept envisioning Reshiram swallowing me up in a great circle of flames and sharp, pointy teeth. Shuddering again, I tried to focus my thoughts on something more pleasant. Such as, we might be closing in on my sister. Would she know where our mother was? Where Cheren was? Bianca was probably with her… unless she wasn't there of her own volition.

No, that would mean the ex-Plasma members had her. Swallowing hard, those thoughts becoming less pleasant and more violent by the seconds I tried to shake them away. Something. Anything. Anything but what was happening, or already happened, to my sister…

The mistletoe flashed through my mind, and instinctively I tried to not gag. Mostly from the woman. After meeting her, I now understood what most people meant when they said, "That's the sort of women most mother's warn their sons about." Creepy. And the part with N… I had no idea what to make of it. It was uncomfortable, and my right eye stung for almost ten minutes afterwards. But unlike the kiss with the woman, I didn't feel violated. Was that normal? Was it out of the ordinary? Them both being my first kisses, I wasn't sure if my responses were based on personal opinion or anything else…

Strange and awkward as the thoughts were though, I felt calmer. Still cold, still hungry… but less frightened. N placed a hand on my shoulder, and I glanced over at him. I could feel faint shivers, and swirls of white air as he breathed in the dimming light. "Please let out Eelectrik." He whispered quietly, staring straight ahead. Grabbing one of my Pokeballs, I did as requested and sent him out. With a high whine, the creature swayed his head to get a good look at both of us. "Eelectrik, if you do not mind… we need some light for when we go in there. Would you do so for us?" N requested. My Pokemon turned his head upside down, still staring. He studied us, trying to decide if he wanted to be nice today and do a favor or demand tribute.

Really, the only time any of my Pokemon ever listened to me was in battle.

"We're trying to find Zoroark. Please." N pressed. At this, my Pokemon turned his head right side up once more and gave a dramatic roll of his eyes. I smiled.

"Thanks." I said at the same time N gave a soft, "Thank you." We jumped, startled at how easily we fell into unison. The surprise fell away quickly, and the three of us began walking inside the cave. The place was dark, pitch black. Without Eelectrik, there was no way I would have seen anything or anyone in the darkness. Instinctively, I grabbed the nearest hand not wanting to get separating in this absolute night. It was as if the second we entered the mouth, the cave swallowed all light. Even Eelectrik hesitated, unsure about whether or not he wanted to follow.

"They're whispering." N murmured quietly as we started to walk aimlessly into the cave.

"…they?" I repeated, trying to peer through the darkness.

"The Pokemon that live here. We're going the right way." He explained. Realizing I wanted more of an explanation he continued, "They are discussing the humans that have been through here. My… ex-grunts, I suppose… it sounds like they have been through here." He paused, probably listening further to what else was being discussed. In the dim light of the crackling electricity that Eelectrik was providing as light, I could barely make out an ironic smile on N's face. "They're surprised I understand them." He resumed listening once more, and then his head moved in I'm pretty certain a nod.

"Have any of you seen a girl with brown hair in a ponytail? Probably with another female human human, with short yellow hair?" N asked, and then I heard them – small, tiny sounds and whispers in a foreign tongue that before I just assumed were sounds rather than words. "I see. What about… what about a Zoroark, or something that looked human but smelled otherwise?" The Pokemon quieted down briefly, and then roared back up with sound from every direction. Up, down, sideways, distant, close…  
>"Thank you. This way, Touya." N nodded, Eelectrik already heading to the left and us following. Naturally, I followed because… what else could I do? Those two heard all of the directions, and I just heard sounds. The entire month I've been with the guy, and I always felt as if I was being left out of some kind of conversation when it was just us… but it wasn't, was it? I guess I was being left out.<p>

Oh well. I didn't really have high expectations – I kind of figured he was just dragging me around with him to get in good with my sister. She told me about the Ferris wheel – he says otherwise, but to both of us it really did sound like he was trying to ask her out on a date. Had he not suddenly began talking about Team Plasma, Touko probably would have politely informed him she was not interested in men – no, not even ones with long ponytails.

I was fine with that, though. Really. It wasn't like I was going to have much luck finding her on my own, especially since it felt like I couldn't go anywhere without feeling as if I had eyes on me. A couple of times, I actually did. On those few occasions, N and I weren't really sure if those were dead ends – but we weren't going to stick around when those men and women still stuck in the past were looming and breaking into Pokemon Centers.

We avoided going in those places for a reason now.

I realized we were no longer in a cave when my feet touched onto snow once more, and the shock of it wretched me from my thoughts. Glancing around, above us I could see the moon and outlines of trees swaying in the breeze. There was a thick fog snaking around everywhere, and while the visibility was somewhat improved from the cave I didn't let go of N's hand. We were walking after some ex-grunts, who were willing to do who knows what to Zoroark… and possibly my sister. The knowledge Reshiram was with N was comforting, so I stuck close. None of my team could fly, you see. We wandered through the forest, through the fog. My body was beginning to ache from shivering for so long, and I was getting tired. What time was it?

N pulled his hand away with a small sigh, and I was about to ask, "Why?" since that was a source of heat but then he pulled me under his arm and into his coat. "Thank you…" I sighed, sinking into the heat and walking awkwardly but far more comfortably. I could feel him shaking as well, but I think us two now sharing the limited heat between us was helping him as well.

"Do you think there's a monster in here?" N asked.

"I do… but I think it walks on two feet and has many heads…" I murmured in reply, my eyelids getting heavy. He rubbed my arm, simultaneously helping blood flow and shaking me awake. He chuckled.

"Are you saying people are the monster?"

"If they kidnapped Zoroark and my sister… yes." I conceded.

"Hmm. Team Plasma the Monster…" N mused softly.

"They're not Team Plasma. Not anymore." I pointed out. He gave a small noise of acknowledgement. We quieted, realizing that our conversation could draw unwanted attention. The three of us kept our pace, listening intently for any unnatural sounds. Or in the case of Eelectrik and N, warnings from the Pokemon of other humans approaching. The more we walked, the more lost I felt. The more we walked, the more I wanted to sleep.

"…fucking bored…" A voice, unfamiliar and distant. I realized I had been drifting off as we walked, and that N was half-supporting me. I gave him an apologetic look, though between the fog and night I doubt he even noticed. But his arm around me was tense, and I knew he had heard the voice as well. Not that far away, even.

"…won't last…some… wood…" I could barely make out what they were saying, and made predominately assumptions in regards to what the discussion consisted of. Holding our breaths, our trio tried to quietly and unnoticeably get closer to the sound. Eelectric let his light go out slowly, and I could see the faint flickers of a fire burning.

"…never… is crazy…" More voices, more conversations. We were almost there… almost…

A twig snapped, and we three tensed. Looking down, I couldn't tell if it was me or not… but I hadn't felt a twig any place I stepped. Actually, I was surprised it took us this long before there was any sound.

"It wasn't any of you." A man's voice drawled lazily from behind us. "You know, I was wondering when you would arrive… _my lord_." There was sarcasm oozing from the title, and N's grip on me tightened so hard my elbow began digging painfully into my ribcage. "Good to see you. Bring us a little gift?"

"Do you have Zoroark or Touko?" N's voice was flat, and so blunt I initially didn't realize he was the one asking.

"Come now, _my lord_. Don't be that way. You used to lead us. Least you could do is bring your friend and his pet along to the fire. Warm yourselves up. Say hello to everyone." The man was sneering now, and approaching us. N took tentative steps back, away from the man and I was being pulled along. Eelectrik hissed, wriggling to stand in front of us both.

"You should know Pokemon are not-"

"I didn't mean the Pokemon, you useless piece of shit." The man interjected. "How in the fucking region someone like you got Reshiram, I'll never understand." It was my turn to hold on tightly to N, though I wasn't really sure why. He didn't strike me as the type to get violent when being provoked, unless the safety of Pokemon were involved. Actually, he never really struck me as the violent type at all. "Followed your insanity right into the ground like everyone else – I'm _offended_ you think so lowly of your subordinates as to assume we'll just go about treating Pokemon like trash the second you aren't around." By now he was stalking us into an opening, and the talking from before went into a hushed silence as the whole group now stared at us. Most of them were in tattered, grimy uniforms that probably hadn't been washed in ages. Some of them had on casual clothes, appearing strangely out of place in this gathering.

And all of them were watching us intently. I wasn't shaking because I was cold anymore. Had they planned this? That woman… was she part of the set-up? Did she know? Or was she clueless…? Maybe it was a coincidence…?

It didn't matter.

"Well? Any speeches, _my lord_? We're all listening, just like the good ol' times. Huh. You're surprisingly quiet for a change. What happened? Realized everything you say is hot air finally?"

"Do. You have. Zoroark. Or Touko?" N repeated, his voice tensing and I tried to not gasp out because his hold was starting to crush my ribs and lungs. Noticing, he loosened – but only just barely. In the light of the fire, the man smirked. He had long red hair, loosely braided over his shoulder. He wasn't wearing a uniform – instead, he was wearing a thick flannel jacket and jeans. I had no clue how he could stand there wearing that, and still not be freezing. Reaching into his back pocket, the man pulled out a gun – I found myself being shoved out of N's jacket and behind him.

"Oh, this isn't for you." The man cocked the gun, and pointed it over where several people were sitting in a cluster. They hustled out of the way, and I stared mortified. Crudely tied down was Zoroark, back in her natural physique and lying unconscious. "No worries, we just used some tranquilizer on her. If she were awake, she could just… oh, you already know the details. So. How shall we do this, _my lord_? We don't have Touko, but we do have Zoroark. We don't have that boy, but we do have Zoroark. I think it's a pretty good deal. You get Zoroark back, we get that human thing off your hands… we _liberate_," A sarcastic laugh, "His Pokemon for you – you can take them and go frolic through a field of delusional flowers… and everyone is hunk-dory. What say you?

Of course, on the off-chance you've gotten a bit more realistic on us…" The smile left his face, and he simply stared at us both. "I will pull this trigger, and I won't miss. If you so much as touch Reshiram's ball, I'll pull it. You can maul all of us at that point, but I won't be so bothered knowing her death will be on your hands. Now. Are we going to keep this clean, or am I going to forced to get everything all bloody tonight?"

Standing in front of me, N was a statue. He couldn't choose. Inside, a piece of me was happy that he didn't just shove me forwards. Not relieved, just… happy. I looked over at Zoroark. She was just lying there, unconscious. Because I wanted to find my sister. Sucking in a deep breath, trying to gather courage, I wriggled out of N's hold. He snapped from his statue stance, and just stared at me with wide green eyes. I didn't know what to say. So I just patted him on the shoulder, and stiffly started walking over to the man. "Look at that. The lord can speak to humans, too!" The man snorted. When I was close enough, he grabbed my wrist and yanked me closer and I could feel cold steel against my temple. I shuddered. "Good boy. Anarette, give his lordiness his friend." He ordered. A woman ran over to Zoroark, and untied her.

"There. Now get."

But N just stood there frozen, not knowing what to do or how to decide. "Fine, stay to enjoy the show." The man shrugged, and I stiffly walked with him even though my entire body was screaming to try and break free to run. The fact he hadn't shot me yet told me the intent was to not kill me, but I was frightened to learn what the 'show' consisted of. Finally, N bolted over to check on Zoroark. I felt a little disappointed, but I wasn't surprised. And then I was relieved. I hadn't realized I was afraid of those two getting hurt on my behalf until I realized they could have.

We both approached a dip in the ground, a place where the fog seemed to be born. "Stop shaking like a little girl, it isn't that cold and I'm not hurting you." The man snorted, and that only made me shake harder. "Wet yourself though, and I can't guarantee you won't be hurting." He continued. He turned to one of his fellow… plotters, I supposed. "Any signs yet?"

"I'm almost certain the message was delivered, and Jensen's call was cut short. I should think it is only a matter of time." Another male voice responded. The lead man nodded his approval, and gently nudged me.

"Now watch closely…" The lead man whispered, his mouth close to my ear. I shuddered again, but he didn't chastise me for it. Instead his eyes were avidly watching the sky, widening slowly.

And then I heard it. A thunder that cracked the sky, and then the plotters were running around shouting orders to themselves and each other. There was another one, this one closer and shaking the ground. Up in the clouds, lightning traveled across and through each one as if searching. I held my breath, and my stomach dropped. They planned this. They lured N and I here, and then lured my sister here… and they knew by the time she arrived, they would have me.

"T-Touko…" I said softly, not even meaning to. _I can't… they can't…_ I stopped thinking, and tried to fight – I kicked, I elbowed, did everything that came to mind short of grabbing for any of my Pokemon. When I was about to, he punched my hard so hard I gasped for air, desperately trying to breath and praying nothing internal started. I hadn't been hit that hard in so long, I couldn't recall if it was anything worth worrying about. The crack of thunder echoed through the sky again, and lightning was piercing down and sizzled through the trees. "Touko!" I gasped.

There were shouts, and I could hear Reshiram's cry. _They're not…_ Touko said she and N promised they wouldn't let Reshiram and Zekrom see one another. She had said they both promised. There were roars, and I tried to crane my neck to see. On Zekrom's back, almost invisible in the darkness was my sister. Contrasting, obvious and bright in the shadows, was Reshiram hissing and snarling at the other while N was below trying to shout something. I couldn't hear him over the Pokemon. And then Reshiram yanked up its trainer, chasing after Zekrom as anyone expected it to.

"Hah… she thinks he did it." The man chuckled. So that was why she…? I felt nauseous, and sick. I couldn't tell if it was from having to watch this unfold and being able to do nothing to stop it, or if there was internal bleeding. I was afraid to look. Afraid to see. "Perfect, while they're distracted…" He pulled me into the dip of the ground, me stumbling along with him blindly because I didn't know what else to do. The man pulled out a knife, so I tried to wriggle away. Nearby, I could hear Eelectrik but he was doing nothing. No sparks, no attacks…

"D-don't hurt him…" I whispered, staring wide-eyed at the man.

"No no, we just don't want him to interrupt…" He laughed, and I wasn't put at ease by this at all. I think I was crying. I'm not sure. He forced me to hold up my palm, and cut – deeply enough the blood came spilling up in a thick pool at the palm of my hand. I felt sick, confused – _what is he doing that's going to keep bleeding it needs pressure it's not going to coagulate it needs pressure what is he doing why isn't someone stopping Zekrom and Reshiram what if N and Touko get hurt_ – whirlwinds of thoughts circled my head so quickly I felt dizzy. The man shook my hand, splatters of blood sprinkling across the snow as black spots – almost an inverted night sky, pure white with black holes for stars.

And it got cold, so cold so fast. I thought it was cold before, but now I could physically feel the heat being drained out of my body. I wobbled, and the man seemed surprised as well. The fog became thicker, and the occasional flake became the regular one. All of the movement became a stillness, and the cries and thunders ceased in the sky as well. My legs were shaking, and then I was sinking to the ground because I just couldn't stand anymore I was so tired…

My eyes rolled, and I tried to focus them because I wanted to see if my sister and N were okay and in the spinning world I noticed two glowing yellow eyes staring right at me. It was getting colder, even colder. Distantly, I could hear Reshiram and Zekrom screaming, high-pitched wails of terror. The leader came into my vision, a Pokeball in his hand. Those yellow eyes turned just slightly to focus on the man.

And then a giant mouth snapped forward, and a cracking sound followed as the man's torso was bitten off his body. There was blood, there was something red and twisty like a gooey oversized strawberry liquorish still connecting the two halves. The giant head swung left and right trying to make it rip completely, but instead the red string made twitching legs drag back and forth across the snow like a paintbrush. Warmth spilt out of my mouth, and everything went dark.

…

…

…

Reshiram was screaming, flapping its wings and blasting fire blindly in all directions. I held onto the cloud-like mane it had, my knuckles turning white and blending into its fur as I tried to not be thrown off. The words were incomprehensible, and I had no idea what was making my friend panic. Across from me, hundreds of yards away were Zekrom's echoes of the shrieks. There was no time for me to see if Touko was having the same problem I was, or if she had already been thrown off. The movements were wild and abrupt, and I was sweating from terror and the heat now surrounding me in comparison to the freezing temperatures before. That was a long drop below, and I didn't like that Reshiram was so terrified – nothing should be terrifying it this much. Nothing.

My friend was slowly calming, and my hold didn't waver but there was enough time for me to realize we had moved a few miles away from the chasm – or at least I think so, because staring ahead all I saw was a sea of swirling mists, so thick I could only see the tops of trees. Across the ways, trying to escape in the opposite direction was Zekrom letting its screeches and thunders diminish slowly with its appearance. _A monster, it's still there, the monster, it remains, still there, still there…_ I was finally able to make out some of Reshiram's cries, and my breath caught. The monster? The one the old woman was telling us about…?

Her words rang in my head about a great gray beast that could swallow a person whole, and then I remembered Touya was still down there, still with those I once called comrades and so was Zoroark and why were we retreating when the only ones who could protect and save them it was not like my old subordinates would for me since they started all of this themselves and my stomach was churning and I could still hearing Reshiram screaming, _I will not, I cannot I will not it remains and I don't you can't it will not eat me I won't let it_ and flying further and further away with my heart still stapled in the center of that fog and being pulled harder with each flap of white wings…

I didn't think. I just knew I couldn't leave Zoroark or Touya behind, and I had no idea if Touko had already abandoned persuading Zekrom and was riding her Braviary or not. None of my friends were with me, except Reshiram. That didn't occur to me. I simply let go, and jumped. Plummetting, falling, and without even trying I was already assessing the rate at which I was falling, judging how many miles separated me from the ground, and calculating how much longer my descent would last before I was nothing more than broken doll lying on the ground.

The wind whistled around me, and it blotted out all the other sounds. No longer could I hear Reshiram's resistance, refusal. No longer could I hear the thunder that was Zekrom, or the chattering of the Pokemon all over the forest and chasm. It was just whistles and numbers, a world far more familiar to me than words had ever been, whether they were spoken through Pokemon or humans lips. My hat was gone, my ponytail tangled and breaking free of the hair tye. I spread my arms and legs, trying to catch more wing and slow my fall as if that would save me.

Death wouldn't have been so bad.

Suiting, really.

I had accomplished nothing.

Changed nothing.

I closed my eyes.

Talons gripped tightly onto me, lifting me away from the trees and the sound returned. Reshiram was hissing, _you are a mad man and I will not permit you to just die nor will I allow you to have your fate sealed by that monster!_ For once, I was not grateful for Reshiram's protection. As I was raised back to the sky, I placed my hands on its claws.

"I'm sorry, friend… but I think it already has." I had to shout to be heard over the wind, and hearing my words the wings stop and we hung in the air. We started moving again, this time towards the center. _I will not help you then, for mine is still my own to choose_, Reshiram snarled. "You know me – I would have it no other way." I looked up, trying to see its expression. My friend was… upsetting to look at. There wasn't enough light for his pupils to be so tiny, hardly even pinpoints in its eyes. The monster really, truly terrified it.

That was fine. Reshiram pulled in its wings, diving straight for the center of the swirling mass – it was like staring into the eye of a hurricane, shifting and moving with winds only I didn't think these were natural. The closer we got, the more snow I saw. The clouds were falling in thickets, cloaking the air with a cold that took my breath away. Reshiram threw me into that whirlwind, and all I could do was fall in the direction the wind threw me. I think I heard him give me a farewell. Small balls of hail struck me, and bruises began forming all over my body from the amount of force they struck me with. My arms covered my head, trying to protect at least that much.  
>Tree branches caught me, clawed and ripped at me. Fabric shredded, and had the situation been different perhaps the fact tree branch after tree branch caught my fall like an old cartoon it would have been funny. When I hit the ground, I couldn't breathe and all I saw was white – I couldn't tell if my vision was compromised or if that was just how thick the fog was. Just laying there, head spinning and lungs being crushed, I tried to remember how to at least breathe. Finally, there was gasping and the spinning slowed. This was the first time I got dizzy just staring at nothing.<p>

Nothing.

Gingerly standing up, my legs trembled beneath my own weight. Every joint and muscle felt inflamed, and I tried to ignore it as I took my first steps. Sucking in a breath, I pictured my goal and pressed forward because otherwise I would have fallen and just remained there. Zoroark. Touya. I had to find them, make sure both of them were okay.

And I had to see this monster for myself.

The dizziness was subsiding, and I heard screaming – how long had my ears been ringing that I hadn't even noticed they started? I stumbled in that direction, having no other lead in this frozen mass of snow.

The blanket lifted abruptly with no warning, and I flinched back inside without meaning to. Breathing became difficult and rugged, forced even. Blood. The screaming continued, my ex-comrades being knocked to the side, or bitten into by a giant head of ice and stone with yellow eyes that saw nothing – they just stared. I shuddered, and took steps back into the opening because even in the carnage I had to know… had it already gotten Touya? It felt as if my heart contracted, and there was a different cold sensation that was based in my heart and was pumped through my veins from the epicenter of the sensation.

A giant dragon of ice and stone, creaking and roaring through the screams. Men and women were trying to run away, though a few called out their Pokemon as if to face off against the creature. The Pokemon saw the monster, and heard no spoken words – they turned and fled. They would not face that being – _it won't eat me I will not let it_ as Reshiram screamed, so too were these Pokemon. The great head was low to the ground, sweeping over the snow and sent red flakes twirling into the air. There were bodies unmoving, and though a few were familiar none of them were Touya. My knees felt wobbly with relief, but I kept standing. Now to just find him.

I tried to sneak back into the fog, but then those yellow eyes snapped to stare at me. Muscles halted, and we stared at each other. No amount of willpower convinced my legs to run – _your fate sealed by that monster_. Was this what Reshiram meant? The head tilted to the side, as if the creature was unsure what to make of me. _Odd,_ I thought, _you ate everyone else…_

Though in actuality, it had not really eaten anyone. Just took giant chunks out of them, and did not pursue when they fled.

Almost as if it were protecting itself.

I glanced down, curious to see if I could spot any signs of this being the creature's territory.

Instead, I found Touya.

He wasn't moving.

He was lying there.

"Tou-" The rest of his name was lodged in my throat, refusing to come out. My retinas no longer registered that gray monster, only the still body of the brunet. The screams were just distant echoes, and I knew I had failed. This was why I couldn't leave him alone, and I had. I just let him decide for me, and now he was…

He was gone.

Didn't matter who or how it happened.

He was my responsibility. And I…

I was sitting on the ground, staring at a dead body.

It was the same.

The exact same, only…

Only it hurt so much more. There had been Pokemon in the past who I… I hadn't come in time to save. They lived and died only knowing suffering, and I lived with that failure. But I wasn't sure if I could live with this failure. If I wasn't staring at him, I wouldn't have believed it. There was something impossible about Touya being…

…about him simply not being. That wasn't a realistic possibility.

The gray head came closer, and I remained sitting. It didn't matter. I didn't care if it was merely protecting its territory, or if the creature was hungry. I knew it was a Pokemon. But I didn't bother to try and talk to it, to reason with it, and it seemed perfectly content maintaining silence. The giant head stopped in front of me, blotting out my sight of Touya. Cold rolled off of it, so cold it was visible – like watching air roll off of dry ice. Yellow eyes stared at me, and I looked up simply because I had nothing to stare at any longer.

And then it pulled away, air following it like Touya had once followed me – hesitantly, but willingly. The head bent down near the body, and gingerly lifted him. And then the creature slowly slid his body into my lap, and my arms wrapped around him – there was a faint warmth and I pulled him as close as I could there was blood and the smell of bile but…

…but I felt a heartbeat. And his chest was moving, slowly. So slowly, as if he were in hibernation. I tried to find the source of blood, before it occurred to me most of it probably wasn't his. And then I found his hands, and saw one of them still had a slow trickle of blood coming out of a cut in his hand. How long ago was it made? Did it matter? Could that even cost him enough blood to be concerned about?

Frostbite was the bigger issue. I pulled him against my chest tighter, and tried rubbing his arms and back in hopes of reinvigorating some blood flow. "Please live." I whispered, and closed my eyes tightly trying to forget the image of him just lying there, motionless. The creature made a low growl, and those great eyes stared at me again. "Thank you…" I told it, and tried to not choke up. I had to get Touya somewhere safe, somewhere that would help him…

Standing up hurt, hurt far worse than anything else I had experienced. The only thing that kept me from falling, was that I wasn't sure Touya's body could handle something so jarring at this point. Had he always felt this frail and light, or was it just my imagination? I had never lifted him before. Never had a reason to, but now I wish I had so there was some comparison, some way of knowing if I still even had time or if it was too late no matter what… I knew so little about people. Were he Zoroark, I would automatically know.

Zoroark. That was someone else I needed to find. One arm beneath Touya's legs, and the other beneath his back I leaned backwards to get his head to loll into my chest so it wasn't just hanging. My steps were wobbly, but were the best I could manage. After a few of them, I felt more than heard the creature following me. I didn't care at the moment. As we moved, the fog parted. Was it following so I could find my way through? Even if it was, I had no idea where we were… what if I wandered aimlessly around, and then…?

Fear was pulling me down, and only the hope of saving a life I should have protected prevented me from drowning as each time I thought, "What if he doesn't make it?" another piece would respond, "If you give up, he won't." So I kept pressing, concentrating on watching the brunet's breathing and where I was taking us both. "-ya!" A female voice, distant. From above? I looked up, and the creature's head rose above mine. The fog dissipated, letting snowflakes fall more heavily through. As the spot opened, there was some movement above – a shadow of sorts. There was a yell, and the shadow came back and began swirling around.

"T-Touko!" I hollered. "Be careful, I don't-" And I couldn't finish, because she was already swooping down with her Braviary. The creature merely gazed at her doing so, watching and waiting with a surprising patience compared to the sudden movements it made when ripping through flesh. I shuddered at the recollection. Blue eyes bored into me, cold as the snow and glanced from me to Touya. Touko then turned to face the creature.

"What is it." It was a command, not a question.

"I don't know." I answered her. "Don't… make it feel threatened. It seems to respond to threats, to itself and others… I think. I'm not sure." I added, not wanting to watch her get ripped up. Nor did I want to explain to Touya when… if he woke up, what happened to his sister after everything we went through to find her.

Strangely, I wasn't as relieved to see her here as I was when I realized Touya was still alive.

"Very well." Touko closed her eyes. "Is he…?"

"He's alive. For now." When I said this, a small sob escaped her and tears were falling but she was smiling.

"Thank Arceus…" She made motions, and I assumed she wanted us to keep walking. Braviary warily looked at the creature, but followed his trainer. "Did you do this…?" Touko asked softly.

"No. We were just… looking for you. And we heard there was a dragon here-"

"There's a dragon all right." Touko gave a bitter laugh.

"So we came here. And then…" I tried to not clench onto Touya's body, reminding myself he bruised easily. I wondered if I bruised him earlier, when I tried to hide him against myself from my ex-subordinates. That felt like years ago. Had it even been hours…? Walking near me, Touko nodded.

"Why did Zekrom and Reshiram react that way…? Usually almost nothing stops them when they… I'm sorry that I…"

"You reacted to how it looked, and it didn't look good. As for why… they fear it." I explained, nodding my head to the creature. I glanced back it, wanting to try something. There was a faster means of travel now available, but given the abrupt temperament of this creature I had no desire to test it. "May we… may Braviary carry him to a Pokemon Center?" I asked. There was no response, just a slow tilt of a head. The eyes just stared, unblinking.

"What did it say?" Touko whispered, hope in her voice. Desperation was there, as well.

"…nothing." I murmured. Did it even understand me? "…what… who are you…?" I wondered. There was still no response, or reaction. "…Touko. I'm going to… give Touya to you. I'm going to try and keep its attention on me, and you need to take him to get help. All right?"

"…N?" I couldn't see her face, but I knew her lips were turning into a thin line and her brows were lowering in disapproval.

"I… I need to find Zoroark, still. And he needs help. Badly. It's… it's my fault. I didn't do this… but… it's my fault. Please." I walked over to her and Braviary, and when the bird Pokemon lowered his back, I slid the still body onto him. Taking a few steps away, I waved at the creature.

"…I wish you luck finding Zoroark." Touko said, and hopped onto Braviary. The yellow eyes stared intently at them, and I knew they couldn't leave being so closely watched.

"Touko?"

"Yes?"

"If I can't find Zoroark… please find her in my place. She's fond of Touya. She'll be happy to know he's all right."

"…N…"

"Promise?"

"…promise."

I was not afraid to get its attention. There was nothing to be afraid of. I knew Touko would keep her promise, and Zoroark was a smart girl. Her fur was thick enough to survive the cold. And now I knew for a fact Touya was going to be fine. What happened with the creature and I didn't matter, because he was going to be safe now. Touya was going to be safe, and so was Zoroark.

So I wasn't afraid, because I knew the only things I was afraid of losing, weren't going to be lost.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** No worries guys! Eelectrik is fine! Relieving to read, isn't it? I realize it seems like after Touya fainted, Eelectrik seemed to just be forgotten about entirely, but really - he's fine. You guys can have a merry and wonderful Christmas now, if you celebrate it. If not, you can enjoy driving all over the place with minimal traffic on the 25th. Talk about awesome. On a side note, I'm so proud of Touya this chapter. If I were him, I probably would have fainted the second some crazy dude stuck a gun to my head. So good job Touya, I'm proud of you for growing a pair. Ish. See you guys New Year's for the next chapter so you can find out what happened to Eelectrik!  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> I do not own nor have any affiliation with Pokemon outside of being an avid consumer for more years than I'm willing to admit.


	4. New Year's

**A/N:** Hey guys! So just wanted to clear something up... it seems I have unintentionally misled you all into thinking this would be a long fic. It actually only has one more chapter after this, Valentine's Day (and maybe a joke one for April Fool's if I feel like it). This was not my intention, and I apologize. That aside, this chapter was a little tricky in the respect that last chapter was quite a bit heavier and this one consists primarily of the plot being wrapped neatly in a pretty bow and extra stuff. Hopefully you guys are too disappointed. May you enjoy!  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> I do not own nor have any affiliation with Nintendo, Game Freak, or Pokemon Inc. This is simply fan-written document, and I receive no benefit from it outside of practicing writing.

* * *

><p>"Years ago, back when two brothers first realized they could be torn apart by a disagreement of ideology there once was a single dragon. This one Pokémon who was able to create a region for two brothers, a creature that embodied a nirvana on this plain of existence. One day, one brother said the region must be led by truths – the second brother said the region must be led by ideals. The Brother of Truths said ideals would follow honesty, and the Brother of Ideals said honesty would follow ideals. Neither side believed the other could be right.<p>

The dragon, whose thoughts and dreams were equally embedded in the two brothers, was split into two creatures – Reshiram and Zekrom. The fighting carried the four far away from the empty shell that remained, a skeletal reminder of unity abandoned in the deep snow. But the concept of compromise still lived, and so too did the skeleton – waiting for the day that light and dark would blend into the gray being that nature had always intended them to be. There was life, there was death, and there was the world in-between. That was the monster of Lacunosa. The original abandoned Pokémon, left behind by its friends and itself.

For years, it consumed and devoured without stopping. It wasn't… trying to eat people, exactly. It was trying to become whole again, and humans were the ones that put the thoughts that once filled it inside. So on the most basic of instinct, it did what anything with no mind could think to do to become one with another – it ate things. Perhaps it never occurred to Kyurem that this killed the people. It simply knew they were inside of it, so now they were one.

The two brothers heard of the rampaging skeleton, and decided that the war waged against each other had to wait. So they took Reshiram and Zekrom to stop it, and they did… but in the process, Kyurem tried to bring the two legendary dragons back into itself. This attempt failed, and Kyurem was forced to become one with the ice – frozen and forsaken a second time.

The creature knew nothing but the will of others, and a desire to put two halves back together. When those men and women awoke it, it simply knew their desires – that they still wanted to liberate Pokémon from humanity, but the only real way to do it was to eradicate all humans. For humans were selfish and destined to fail in all ventures to do the right thing – that was why all good deeds never went unpunished. And they, those who called themselves members of Team Plasma, wrote their own death sentences under the pretense of it being, 'the right thing.' They desired death, Kyurem desired to be one with them, and so the dragon granted their wishes." N finished, his words practiced and strangely articulate for a man who rushed through his words faster than most ears could keep up.

All four of us were outside of the Pokémon Center, the gray monster in front of us letting its head hang low to the ground and the cold surround it. The monster had a name – Kyurem. And as with everything, it had a story. I kept the blanket wrapped tightly around me, shivering slightly from the cold and the general chill the creature still gave me. Even after learning and understanding it better, there was no ridding my memory of our first meeting. Standing next to me was Touko, tight-lipped as she listened to the more detailed explanation of why we were all outside. Bianca was on the other side of me, green eyes wide in wonder.

"It's like a Blitzle or Zebstrika when it has no will anymore… just hangs its head, no pride…" The blonde murmured softly. Not knowing what to say, I just nodded my head. Since I obtained consciousness weeks ago, Kyurem was an eerie constant. I saw it in my nightmares. I saw it when I woke, and those yellow eyes were watching me. A stare devoid of meaning or emotion, and one that I never understood. One I didn't necessarily want to understand, simply because I couldn't imagine the nothing that made Kyurem what it was.

"Is that what you were talking to Zekrom about?" Touko asked, watching the gray creature. N merely nodded to her words.

"While I was learning what I could, I was able to talk to Reshiram a bit more deeply about what had terrified it so much. Neither wished to become a single entity again, and were afraid of Kyurem…" He paused, fumbling around with his words and I could see he was desperate to talk at a normal, calm pace rather than a rushed one.

"Reshiram refused to rejoin Kyurem because it hated the concept of being the same as Zekrom once more – to be part of something that was, in its opinion, wrong. Zekrom was afraid because it loved Reshiram too much to be forced to confront the other's hate – and rather than ever see it, it was just easier to fight it. It's… I don't think I'm explaining it quite as well as either of them. It's difficult to translate their words into ours.

But, because they both came from Kyurem, not all of Reshiram was hate – there was still affection for its other piece, and the small piece of loathing Zekrom had for Reshiram was enough to remove much of the fear… and since we are no longer fighting, and there is no longer a reason for ideals or truths to be different – there is no reason for there to be two dragons and an in-between. They are both ready to resume being what they are, rather than parts of who they were."

My sister looked down at her PokeBall – the one with Zekrom, specifically – and then over to the creature again. She was frowning, and I knew it was because she was weighing what was right against what she wanted. The right thing was to let Zekrom choose its own path, but like any friend she didn't want to have to say good-bye. Part of it would still be alive, but at the same time… Zekrom was Zekrom for a reason.

As those two discussed how or if fusing the two back into Kyurem was even possible, Bianca and I stood behind as the only witnesses. Centuries worth of disagreements and fighting were coming to an end, because both sides finally acknowledged they both could be right. And us two… I looked at Bianca, wondering how she felt about all of this. Since we were kids, she had always been sincere and earnest in her thoughts. There was never a doubt in anyone's mind how she was feeling. The way she watched my sister and N, the way she stood and held her breath… I knew she was hoping the right decision would be made. Knowing her, she was probably standing there thinking she wouldn't know what was right or wrong in this case, but she trusted Touko to make the right one.

My being here felt entirely like some accident or coincidence. Despite everything that happened, I was simply the piece needed to make Touko fight N once more. I was that extra piece they had almost used as a sacrifice because an old tomb was not very specific in how exactly one could awaken Kyurem. As for why Kyurem followed me, watched over me, and even now continued to stare at me… I don't think any of us would ever really understand why. Bianca's gloved hand slid over to mine, and curiously I turned to her. She was smiling broadly.

"You have that insignificant look, again." She stated bluntly. Blinking at her, I looked down and then up trying to shake off the effect of her honesty. "I think… Kyurem knows you're why this all happened. And I think it's grateful. Maybe. If it can feel gratitude." Bianca's smile broadened, her eyes crinkling in a simple pleasure. "So don't feel insignificant. You aren't. Okay?"

"Bianca, I don't-"

"Okay?" She pressed. Sighing, I gave her a half-hearted grin and nodded. There was no talking to her unless I pacified her opinions first.

Zekrom and Reshiram were released from their PokeBalls, and each side flinched first at one another's presence, and then at Kyurem's. The creature raised its head, lower jaw widening as its focus on me dissipated immediately in order to concentrate on the other two legendaries. Spreading their wings, the white and black dragons took to the sky – leaving the gray one to crane its neck towards the sky after them. It did not leave the ground, feet planted firmly in the snow that it had known longer than anything else.

Frozen wings creaked, shards of ice snapping and crumbling off. It was incapable of flight, and yet was still trying to take into the air after them. Or maybe a part of it remembered flying after seeing those two, and wanted to again.

Maybe it could fly, but forgot how. There was a low sound, high-pitched and short-lived. This entire time since awakening, Kyurem had been silent – not even breaths leaving its lungs. But now, there was that brief cry. A call. A summon. High above us, Zekrom and Reshiram were lazily circling the gray dragon. Gently nudging us back were N and Touko, wanting to give the three room to attempt assembling their selves once more. The slow glides began turn into fast and quick dives, white and black alternating between up and down until there was a rhythm, a motion. Flames and sparks trailed after both, and snow kicked up as if trying to reach up to join the dance. At all of these blurs, all of the movements… my mind wandered back.

"I've been… well… first. Touya… I'm glad to see you're all right." N greeted me with last night, after he came in through the window – due to Kyurem's presence the past few weeks, the Pokémon Center's front door became snowed in.

"Same."I whispered, bewildered but relieved past expression. I had thought he was dead, as that was the first time I had seen him since… "What happened?"

"It's… shameful to admit. I threw snowballs at it." N shifted between his feet, his hands trying to find a place to go before finally settling to be link across his chest.

"...what?"

"When Touko was leaving with you on Braviary… I didn't want Kyurem to chase after you, to stop her from getting you help. So I threw snowballs at it. It kind of stared at me, and then I thought it was going to… but it didn't. It paused midway, and then just swung its head to knock me into a tree. Zoroark found me, and she took me somewhere safe. When I came to I wanted to know what it was and I felt it was safe to do so because you were with your sister and I doubted there was anyone safer to be with and I also wanted to ensure that my… my old comrades knew that they couldn't keep doing this so I set out to learn what I could as best as I could…"  
>To learn what he could as best as he could. Watching the dance of the dragons, I wondered what that statement said about N. Since the revelation about the ex-grunts, I wondered if he was like them in that respect – that there was some sort of self loathing simply because he was human, and nothing more. To be aware and acknowledge he was flawed, that in the equations of his own personality were inexplicable variables that had no business being there yet were.<p>

And then it was over, with suddenly there being only one dragon taking off into the sky by itself but no longer alone. No longer empty or incomplete. We all stood there watching the creature take off, knowing that it truly would become legendary – the Pokémon that knew all faces of humanity, and simultaneously rejected while accepting them all.

"…I guess we should get ready for the New Year, then." Bianca chirped up, her other hand taking hold of my sister's and squeezing it tightly. Touko gave a stiff nod, and I realized there were only a few more hours of this year left. I let go of Bianca's hand, and took my sister's other one. N stood there by himself, still watching where the creature once was.

…

…

…

I rolled over on the bed to stare at the digital clock – the new year was still about ten minutes away. My eyes felt droopy, and my limbs heavy even though I did so little today. Sitting at the foot of the bed, back leaning against the wall was N scribbling on a sheet of paper. Every now and then he would smile or frown, the latter leading to an eraser obliterating whatever had been the cause of the expression. All I could make of it were numbers and words, but I was not sure if it was simply some foreign formula or him trying to explain one in words.

Down the hall were Touko and Bianca celebrating New Year's in their own way. My sister, when she wasn't being abrasive, was normally a silent girl who said more with her expressions. When she didn't want to be read, she wanted to be alone and only Bianca had ever been the one that could be with her during those times. So I didn't press, even though New Years felt far lonelier this year than any other. From Touko I learned our parents were all right. But they weren't here. I had my team lazing around the room, and for that I was grateful… I was also happy that N was staying in the room with me, though I was a bit unclear as to why.

Especially because he hadn't seemed very keen on talking this entire time. If I tried to start a conversation, he would make sounds of acknowledgment but there was no interest in any of the topics. Maractus was more than happy to play a few games of Tic-Tac-Toe, and Liepard would occasionally vocalize her opinion to me… but it wasn't the same as talking. A part of me started to actually feel envious of N, knowing that he could talk to any one of my team… and I could barely communicate to them.  
>"…what are you doing?" I asked, letting my head hang off the side of the bed and propping my feet and legs against the wall. Since there was another person on a single bed, it seemed rude to take too much room.<p>

"Geometric proof." N replied simply, furiously erasing away several sentences.

"What's it do?" Well, if he wasn't interested in anything I had to say might as well see what was on his mind. I may not have been able to spend time celebrating the new year with my family, but I was still going to celebrate it. There was plenty to look forward to… right? I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate on the good things. Such as, now there wasn't a monster of Lacunosa. Now there wasn't any looming threat of an ancient feud coming back.

…none of that changed the fact there were people dead, though.

"To prove a rule is true, regardless of the instance." He summarized. I frowned, disliking how short and abrupt his answers were. Almost automated, really.

"Is that what people do to prove a theory is a law?" I asked while struggling with my face muscles, trying to make my expression more curious and less confused. He made a sound, but I wasn't sure if he was confirming or refuting my question. Giving up, I let the frown slide back into place as I lifted my torso up and swung my legs back onto the bed. Crawling over to him, I looked down at the paper.

I looked at him instead, because the writing on the sheet gave me a headache. "N. I'm talking more than you. What's wrong?" In times like these, I was going to take a note from Bianca – get right to it, no beating around the bush. For once, he looked up from his paper and blinked once, twice, realizing that I was right there in front of him instead of on the other side of the bed.

"…do you really need to ask?" N wondered, furrowing his brows curiously at me. I paused, considering, and then nodded.

"You don't… respond typically. Like, back…" I didn't want to say it, to talk about it. "When we were getting Zoroark. Normally a person doesn't just-"

"What people say about me is irrelevant when it comes to the safety of a Pokémon or a friend regardless of how hurtful or positive the remarks may be and I was not going to be distracted from saving Zoroark." Hearing us talk about her, the Pokémon glanced our way from the couch in the room along with my Eelectrik. The way he said that with so much conviction…

"Y-yeah… you're right." I forced a grin. "I suppose that's typical for you… but… after everything, how are you…" What was a good word? I didn't want to say feeling, because I had a few guesses about that but getting him to talk about what was on his mind felt like I was pulling teeth…

"I think the better question is how you are, Touya." He interjected instead, and gently folded the paper to tuck it away into one of his pockets. _Hah, victory._ And then I realized what he said.

"I'm alive." A little lonely. Confused. Worried. Possibly going to look over my shoulder every few seconds for the rest of my life. But I was alive.

"…and so am I." N decided.

"Are you glad to be?" I pressed. There was hesitation, his mouth opening to give an immediate response but then he stopped himself. Green irises slid to the corner of his eyes, before moving down and lashes covering them.

"I'm not sure yet. But I'll figure it out… eventually." That was a nice sort of typical. Initially, it annoyed me… how honest he was, and how offended he got if anyone else wasn't the same honest to a fault as he was. But now, it was nice to know he was telling the truth and that he wouldn't lie. It let me be there for him, when I couldn't be there for my sister or anyone else. Maybe it was selfish… and maybe I just wanted to do something for a change, instead of always being dragged around.

Maybe he knew that. Maybe he didn't.

"I think I will be, once I figure out a way for us all to coexist… kind of like how Reshiram and Zekrom now live. If they can, why not us?" N's asked, and I nodded my head – not wanting to verbally agree in case that had been a rhetorical question. With him, it was hard to tell. "…Touya, are you?"  
>"Kyurem didn't eat me, did it?" I retorted. There was a flicker of a smile.<p>

"I'm glad… it didn't." N whispered. Once again he started to say something, before shaking his head.

"Glad it didn't eat you, too." Not knowing what else to say after that, I racked my mind trying to come up with something – anything to keep this going lest our discussion died before it began.

"Touya… do you remember what I originally came to your house for?"

"Of course. Touko and redemption. You wanted to make things right." I remembered. His lips quirked up in a brief smile.

"Yes, well… that too. But actually, I had been looking for a place to stay while I tried. You said I could if it was all right with your sister and mother, recall? If you don't though, that's all right as the more I think about it the more I have to admit that our discussion is probably quite overshadowed by what followed as what we talked about was rather insignificant when compared to the events and I guess I am being vague about it but you probably don't want to be specific with it – "

"N. I remember that just fine, thank you." I couldn't stop myself from chuckling a little. Once upon a time, I thought I was going to kill this guy for talking like that so often. Now it was comforting. My eyes flicked to the clock. Two minutes. "It's fine with me, even if it isn't fine with them. But I don't recommend moving in if they don't want you in there. And since we're talking about changes… what do you say we come up with New Year's Resolutions?"

"Ah. Another strange and peculiar human tradition of which many make and very few bother to take seriously and for some reason seems to consist primarily of losing weight or gaining muscle mass with no real idea as to how they will accomplish this feat." He straightened his back, moving out of the slouching position he had previously been in. "I suppose… my first resolution would be to try and understand other humans better, to generalize them less."

"Mine… is to stand on my own two feet better. These past few months… it's all felt like everyone's been giving me a piggyback ride all over Unova, and some of the times it was to places and with people I didn't want to be in or see." Sometimes quite literally. I tried to not think about those occasions.

"…that's a good ambition to have. Although, I think most of that 'piggyback' ride was done on Reshiram's back, and you never seemed to complain about that…" Was he teasing me? Just in case, I playfully nudged him for that remark. If he wasn't, then he would be confused but unharmed. "I thought another silly tradition of this holiday was to have fireworks going off."

"Lacunosa had a voluntary mass evacuation when they saw Kyurem approaching. Touko had one hell of a time convincing one of the doctors to stay and treat me." I explained. Glancing at the clock again, I held my breath – less than a minute until. Glancing down at Liepard on the bed next to me, I reached over to pull her into my lap. The creature made a small sound, and then hopped off of the bed with her tail in the air.

I felt strangely rejected.

"Does this mean we merely go to bed after mid-" Eleven fifty-nine changed to a twelve and two zeroes right then, and having no one close-by I just chanced it. I didn't even really cut him off; it was just a quick peck to the cheek – no different from any past new year's kisses. Apparently he had never experienced one before because N's eyes widened and he forgot what he had been saying before it even happened.

"It means you kiss the person closest to you at midnight, and then go to bed. Or party. At home, we always just… waited up until sunrise to greet the first sunrise of the year. But that's a family tradition, not a cultural one." I explained, suddenly feeling jittery and nervous – and regretting doing that on impulse. N sat there for another minute, recovering from the surprise peck, and then finally went back into motion.

"Oh… so, does that mean I'm supposed to… kiss you back?" He sounded bewildered, and now that his brain was functioning again there was some hint of amusement. I relaxed, muscles unclenching now that I knew he wasn't disturbed by the action.

"Uh… well… sure, I guess…" We were already a minute into the new year, so I wasn't sure if any return pecks were acceptable at this point. Was there a stop time? In past years with friends and family, this hadn't happened so the rules were a bit blurry in this case. Well, since it was his first time celebrating the new year with human traditions, he was exempt right? …right? Mulling over the idea, the gears turned in N's head whether or not he should.

He leaned in, and I jumped slightly when he got that close to my face. His eyes flicked around my visage, probably trying to decide on the best place. It was… uncomfortable. My face felt hot, and I was probably turning red all the way to my ears.

Dry and cracked lips pressed against my own, and suddenly I knew what it meant to be still as a statue. I couldn't move, couldn't react. Couldn't figure out if he was doing this with reason, or simply thought that's where his mouth was supposed to go. I wouldn't really call it a kiss, and a piece of me was happy he wasn't almost eating my eyeball again. Our lips touched, but there was nothing more. Neither of us really knew what came after. I certainly didn't know what it meant.

"…this isn't right, is it?" N finally asked softly, and I felt each movement and breath of his that sent a little shiver up my spine. Strange how talking felt far more intimate than the action, and I was positive if I was somehow not blushing before, I was now.

"N-no… I don't… th-think so…" Forming words was difficult, and he jolted back from me when I replied. It was good to see both of us were embarrassed, judging by the red tinge developing on his face as well.

"Sorry about that, then." He apologized hurriedly. My immediate response was to tell him it was fine, it was okay… but I wasn't sure what the implications that response carried with it, and I didn't want to complicate something so simple any further than it had already gotten.

"What was that… for?" I finally settled on.

"New Year's?" That reply was inquiring, as if I could somehow explain his actions to him.

"I-I guess." Definitely felt jumpy. In a weird way, at least I knew I could probably stay awake until sunrise with the sheer amount of thoughts and conflictions arising after that kiss.

"…I'm sorry, Touya."

"You already apologized, there's no reason to keep doing so… it's redundant, right?" I had no idea why I was asking a mathematician to verify a question about proper word usage, but I was and there was nothing anyone could do to stop me.

"No, it's not… that I'm apologizing for." N grabbed my hand, and I almost jumped off the bed. His grip was loose, the fingers imitating more of a hold than actually having one. "…I care about you. A lot. But I'm not sure… what to do with it." He explained.

"A lot… as in like a brother, or like a… a friend… or a, uhm…" Using a word, a term seemed impossible. I couldn't bring myself to say any of the synonyms for "significant other," because every time I tried there were Beautiflies in my stomach and throat. Or maybe I was catching a cold.

"A… boyfriend?" Thinking about the word, he shook his head. "Someone I am attracted to…?" At least one of us could get those big words out without coughing up random bug and flying type Pokémon. "Touya, are you all right…?"

"I'm f-fine…" Maybe I was catching a cold. My face felt like it was on fire. He pulled his hand away, and N proceeded to sit there a bit uncomfortably.

"You don't seem fine… do you want me to get you some ice? We'll just… drop the topic; I won't bother you about it further." Standing up, he seemed eager to get out of the room.

"Wait, N…" Being the good listener he was, N paused. Now that I had his attention, I had no idea what to say or do. "Just… just wait a minute." I had practically traveled all over Unova with this guy. Through all of it, I never really fully comprehended or understood him. Even now, I was more confused by him than anything else. I didn't even think he was capable of being attracted to someone. But he was, and it was me, and… "Why? When…?"

"When I thought you were dead." There was that straightforward honesty, but this time there was no hesitation getting there. At my expression he went on, "Kind of. I realized that I didn't… I couldn't comprehend the world anymore without you in it. And if… I felt that way about you, it occurred to me later, that no matter how deeply I want to protect and save Pokémon… I cannot comprehend a world without them either. And you… you've been doing things like that to me since we've met. Your ideas, a lot of them are foreign to me and your Pokémon they don't respect you but they care about you…" I flinched at that comment – mostly because it was true, "But because of all that, you change me. I always thought if anyone could make me a better person, it was your sister… but all this time, you've been doing what she's never tried without even meaning to.

And I don't… want to be without your company, regardless of the form it takes." He became uncomfortable, flustered as he attempted to express himself and his meaning while also trying to not make me uncomfortable. This was not a successful attempt. "So, I don't know what to… to do with how I feel for you, but I do know I want to remain with you… as your friend, or even a brother… however strange that would be for me… and I am sorry I misunderstood. I thought the way you acted at midnight…" Trailing, his shoulders slumped and he gave up there.

All of the Pokémon in the room were watching us now, none of them making remarks or comments for a rare change. Just silent observers, listening and waiting. How did I want to respond? Was there a way for me to know, instantly and right this second? Everything we went through together… from when he first broke down my door, to when he pulled me into his coat to help me keep warm, to a few minutes ago when he was close enough for me to not just hear his words, but feel them as well. There were a lot of unpleasant memories in-between, weaved throughout our time spent together. But through all of them, no matter how much he annoyed me at times with his rants, I had never regretted trusting him.

So… maybe I wasn't sick. Sliding off the bed, I took a few quick strides to the middle of the room where he was. Leaning forward on toes to get an extra inch or two of height, I pressed my nose against his and smiled. "Then maybe you should stay with me?" And I kissed him, and though he laughed and we were still clueless what to do after our lips touched…

…there was no question about where to put our arms when we embraced.


	5. April's Fools and Incomplete Valentine's

******A/N:** Hello, hello! Yes, I realize I totally missed the Valentine's Day chapter. I had been working on it, and was unable to complete it in time. And after that, I didn't really get time to work on it until March - by then, just didn't feel right to upload it. Lame, I know. But hey! If you want a quick giggle, welcome to the April's Fools chapter - complete with the rough-draft for Valentine's Day.

**April's Fools Silliness**

…

…

…

Jumping off of a panicked Zekrom's back, Touko flew downwards to the chaos below. She had to save her brother, and nothing – not even gravity – was going to stop her. She flapped her arms, catching an updraft of cold air.

…

…

…

Sitting patiently on the outdoor steps, N glanced over at the Boldorre. "…so how did you two end up being a team?" He inquired casually. For much of Touya's team, he had been wondering that same question – very few of them really seemed to respect their trainer as a person, and only really listened in battle. Boldorre sighed, and have a mighty shrug. He began speaking in words only N and other Pokemon could understand, so naturally Zoroark made a point to eavesdrop.

"When we first met, he was a wearing a dress and I thought he was just the cutest girl…"

"…oh really? Please, do elaborate and go heavy with the details."

"If you insist."

And thus, N learned Touya's dirty secret. He worked at a maid café until his mother felt he was old enough to go out into the world on his own. It was a shame Touya quit really – apparently he looked damn good in garters and frills.  
>…<p>

…

…

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA! DIE FROM FREEZER BURN! AHAHAHAHA!" High atop his pine tree fortress, Cryagonal feared no one and no thing. Firing off ice beam after ice beam, children screamed and scattered. Adults turned to living popsicles, dying slowly from the surrounding cold. Within hours, if nothing was done about this slow slaughter, their systems would fail from hypothermia. "AHAHAHAH! BOW DOWN BEFORE YOUR KING!"

Within weeks, Cryogonal ruled the world.

…

…

…

Flying away from the chaos in Nuvema Town on Reshiram's back, Touya was still shaking and terrified. Noticing this, N put a hand tenderly on the other's shoulder. "Touya. There's something I must tell you."

"Wh-what?" Touya asked shakily.

"I am the King of Team Plasma."

Touya punched him right off of Reshiram's back. The dragon did nothing about this – the asshole kind of deserved it. _Freedom,_ Reshiram cheered internally. No more long-winded rants about how Pokemon were repressed! Finally – sweet, sweet silence!

…

…

…

"Touya. There's something very… odd about your Maractus." N began slowly, staring intently at the creature who was now staring just as intently back.

"What do you mean?" Touya asked, glancing between the two curiously. There was nothing wrong with his Maractus outside of the fact it had an extremely rare genetic mutation that left her with a slightly different colouration than the average population of Maracti. Maractus'?

"Well, for one thing she's covered in blood. I'm starting to think she's a serial killer." When N said this, Touya tilted his head at Maractus. She smiled sweetly at him. The brunet shrugged, apparently finding nothing out of the ordinary in regards to this. Once he left the room, Maractus turned on N.

"Tell him, and you're next." She hissed, and walked off to finish burying the body outside.

…

…

…

On the couch, N and Touya could not stop making out. It was an intense affair, now that there was no one to stop them. Not even inexperience could come between them. Especially since this was the tenth time they attempted to heatedly make passionate love with their lips. That's right. Making passionate love with their lips. It happened all the time. Anyway, nothing could come between them. They had both been working towards this for months, and now they could. After several minutes, unfortunately the body's need of oxygen forced them apart, and they gasped and panted, almost hyperventilating so they could resume taking advantage of this rare respite of being watched. N ran his hand down Touya's waist, causing the other to shiver. "N…" The brunet murmured, flushing slightly. Was the other going to try to…?

"Boldorre was right. You _do_ have the girlish figure for a dress." Touya slapped him, and stormed off in a huff.

Damn Pokemon sharing his deep, dark secrets with his significant other.

…

…

…

My eyes rolled, and I tried to focus them because I wanted to see if my sister and N were okay and in the spinning world I noticed two glowing yellow eyes staring right at me. It was getting colder, even colder. Distantly, I could hear Reshiram and Zekrom screaming, high-pitched wails of terror. The leader came into my vision, a Pokeball in his hand. Those yellow eyes turned just slightly to focus on the man. And then the hug monster struck – dinky arms reaching out to pull the red-headed leader into what was perhaps the world's most bone-chilling hug. He screamed bloody murder, and I felt woozy just having to watch. The creature cooed and cuddled at him, and next thing I knew I was vomiting from how mushy it was. The Pokeball fell to the ground abandoned, to never be held again.

…

…

…

Stopping in the middle of the fanfiction, Touya turned to the writer. "Could you stop putting me in dangerous situations? It's getting really old, really fast."  
>Shut up, or I'll make your life hell.<p>

"IT ISN'T ALREADY?"

I can make this M-rated. Try me, pipsqueak.

"…excuse me N, I'm going to put myself in a dangerous situation real quick to avoid an upped rating. I don't know what she'll do with more wriggle room." Touya shuddered. Considering, N glanced outside the monitor.

"Judging by the bags under her eyes, it'll probably have something to do with reaping since she'll be so out of it the typos will change the context considerably."

"And this is why I love you." Touya gave N a quick hug, before running off to get kidnapped. Again.

…

…

…

Rose in her mouth, Touko danced the tango with Bianca. "Touko… there's something I must tell you, something you didn't know about." The blonde began, nibbling her lower lip. Spitting out the rose, Touko dipped her girlfriend low, leaning her ear in close so she could hear the other if she chose to whisper.

"What is it, my sweet Honeysuckle?" Touko could give Bianca all the pet names she wanted, because she was the Champion of Unova and no one could stop her. Not even Red from Kanto – though that was mostly because he was known for not saying anything.

"I'm on tonight, you know my hips don't lie and I'm starting to feel it's right."

"All the attraction, the tension?"

"Yes. Can't you see it's perfection?" And so Bianca and Touko made out, now that they finished channeling their inner Shakiras.

…

…

…

Snuggled into one another's arms, the two gave a content sigh. After everything they had been through… everything Team Plasma – the world even – put them through, they could finally just be together. There was no drama, no chase. No one was after them, or one or them. It was relieving. Nuzzling one another gently, softly, letting their hearts beat together… this was heaven. This was what it was to be in love, to feel complete.

Sitting next to the giant dragon, a lone Mudkip stared in silent wonder as the completed entity had another mental episode where it thought it was Reshiram and Zekrom and not the ultimate dragon that created Unova.

Some called it schizophrenia, some called it Dissociative Identity Disorder, and some just plain called it insanity. The creature simply called it love – because in love, there was always (a shitload of) madness.

…

…

…

**Incomplete Valentine's Day Chapter**

…

…

…

Behind Professor Juniper's lab were the woods – what the children used to call the Miniature Forest. The name was hardly official, but as I tried to maneuver my way through the underbrush, the thorny vines, and the occasional exceptionally devious Purrloin I felt the name should have been official. Or at least something more akin to, "Miniature But Painful Forest." Pinwheel Forest wasn't nearly this uncomfortable, what with its soft rays of sunlight peeking through leaves inhabited by friendly Petilil, Cottonee, Sewaddles, and so forth. Nuvema's woods were hardly as kind.

At least I was wearing my black pants and blue jacket –instead of the thorns snagging on open skin, it caught fabric. Though it had been years since I had to trudge through the grass and twigs in here, I still knew my way around as if I had to walk this path every day. Which I did not, because it was still winter and it was still chilly. Not nearly so cold as Lacunosa, but just enough I would have preferred to be back home in my warm bed. Or a warm couch. Anything that was warm, soft, and not trying to prick me apart.

"Liepard!" I called, cupping my hands around my mouth as I hollered her name. At her age, she often preferred sleeping or being coddled to playing, but when she did get playful…

…did she really have to steal my hat and bolt into the Miniature But Painful Forest, tail held high in pride as if she were Indiana Jones and just made off with some new treasure? The visual of her wearing his head stained itself into my mind's eye, until I was almost confident she was in there somewhere running from some Boldore (likely my own). Of course, she couldn't be… wild Boldore didn't live around here. And even if she were, I was certain she would be making plenty of noise.

And speaking of noise, there was an irritating lack of it outside of the more natural ones. Oh sure, there were Pidove chirping high above. The tousling of leaves and grass as Lillipups and Purrloins partook in nature's course of them chasing one another. All the sounds the forest _should_ have. But, there was only one person calling for Liepard: Me. Somewhere else in here, particularly the western half, there _should_ have been another voice: N. Was there?

Nope.

I knew he couldn't be trusted with tasks that involved my Pokemon. Somewhere, those three (Zoroark was never far behind) were probably having a good laugh at the theft of my hat. I could hear it now…

"Ohoho, Touya most certainly did not see me taking his hat! Ohohoho!" (I imagine my Liepard to have a very haughty laugh, shut up)

"Teehee, and he certainly did not see you biting his head to get to your hat coming, tee hee." (Zoroark is girly, okay?)

"Hahah, you guys are my bestest best friends in the whole entire world and now I am going to talk five minutes straight without taking a breath to explain the importance of algorithms." (N really does sound just like that)

Furthermore, how difficult was it to find a ninety-pound purple creature? Surely Liepard was too big to climb any of the trees without making them lean to the side before snapping in two. I wasn't calling her fat, I'm just saying… you know… she's big for a Liepard…

And then something came crashing down on me, and back in Nuvema several people probably heard a surprisingly non-masculine scream. I elbowed my attacker in the rib as hard as I could, effectively knocking them off me with a pained yelp. Rolling away, I scrambled to my feet to prepare for fight or flight. Curled up, clutching his side was N and a few paces away hopping down from a tree was Zoroark chuckling ("Tee hee hee…").

"Oh, shit… N, I-I'm sorry…" I stammered, scrambling over to inspect whether my bony elbow was sharp enough to bruise his rib. Kind of hoped I did, the crazy lunatic should know better than to pounce on me from _a frickin' tree!_ And yes, that redundancy was entirely justified considering what we've both been through and how aware of it he is.

"Taking lessons from Touko, I see…" N gasped, slowly pushing himself up with a wry grin. Sighing, I offered a hand to help him up.

"Either you found Liepard and were sent here to distract me, or you didn't find her because you got bored." These were both surprisingly possible. Putting my hands on my waist, I think I imitated my mother's Stance of Disapproval quite nicely. He gave me a lopsided grin and shrugged - an answer that still left me in the dark. Reaching up I swiped his hat, settling the black and white cap on my head. "Fine. This'll do. Let's get back, she knows her way home." Turning on my heel, I tried to retrace my steps for minimal exposure to plants that were not already trampled. Smirking when hearing the crunches of N and Zoroark following, I knew Liepard was probably already home – and he knew it.

N wouldn't leave a poor, helpless, slightly overweight Pokemon dependent on food being brought to her in these woods. There was no catering.

The trek back was significantly faster than the journey through, and when the lab came into view I hurried to reach the fence and clamber back over it. Standing outside with her V-Transmitter in hand was the professor, glancing up at the sounds of our returning and offering a half-smile to us. Her gaze resumed to the device, chatting away in excited whispers. As we passed by her, I'm pretty sure I overheard something about "the last time" and "wonderful."

She must have been talking to Fennel.

In the past three months, Nuvema had changed too much outwardly. Before, there was no real concern for anyone walking around alone. Now I noticed everyone almost walked in pairs. Even me – going anywhere by myself was out of the question, whether it was a conscious or unconscious decision. There were a few Neighborhood Watch signs in town as well. I am still pretty unclear what happened in Nuvema after N plucked me into the skies, but I do know there was a lot of fire. Some buildings were gone, some areas still tarnished. Cheren had a few scars that weren't there before, and now it was near impossible to sneak up on him.  
>And somewhere in the world, there was a dragon living as it should. Was it worth it? It's impossible to compare the loss and gains between the two, but N feels it was. I tell him that it was physically impossible to weigh metaphorical things against one another, but he always just stares at me like I'm some kind of new Rubik's Cube.<p>

"He said the world is made of complex equations… I think it's made of complex life." Touko told me, long ago back when there was a Team Plasma, Seven Sages, and a King. There was always be a small part of N I would always see through her eyes. Strange. Inexplicable.

There would always be a part of me that he always viewed as a piece of Touko.

Pulling out the house keys, I unlocked the (new) door. Mother replaced it before he had a chance to, and our living room was slowly turning into N's living den. The couch perpetually had a pillow and blanket carefully made on it, and the bookcase that was once full of pictures of Touko, mother, and I was now filled with books that had more numbers and letters than actual words in them. There was a scale stuffed beneath the couch, and two clothes baskets – one for clean clothes, one for dirty.

It was a makeshift room at best, but N never complained. Actually, he was ecstatic at being told he could.

Body stretched out, paws lazily kneading yellow and green fabric, was Liepard enjoying N's comforter on the couch. Her lids opened into thin green slits, stared at us, before drooping back closed. On her butt, moving occasionally from her tail was the victim of the day: my hat. There were some dirt stains on the red and white parts, but it was otherwise still in one piece. Carefully, and with his arm still on his ribs, N plucked his own hat from me and put it back where it belonged. "Well, you have yours back." He stated plainly. Rolling my eyes at him, I took my own back. Making sure it was firm on my scalp, I carefully peeled up Liepard so I could plop her front half in my lap – all to sit on the couch.

"Ohh… I need to put you on a diet." I sighed. Liepard's ears flicked slightly at the threat, and then went back to rest. This was not the first time she heard this, and she was now at the point where she just never believed me. I suppose she would listen to them better if I actually followed through, but she was…

…she was adorable when she looked up at you with those big eyes of hers, and made that soft little mewling sound I didn't think something so big could make.  
>"It is only proper for a trainer to join their Pokemon in a weight loss regime especially when the indication is that the loss of a few extra kilos would do the creature some good and if it would do them some good then naturally-"<p>

"N. Are you calling me fat?" I asked, snapping my head over at him. Zoroark disregarded us, heading straight for the kitchen to raid the fridge. She was excused – she was always running all over the place with someone. Zoroark actually burned the extra calories.

"Touya, I would never call you fat. You aren't. Doing so would be a blatant falsehood on my part, especially considering your great form I was simply conveying that if you consider Liepard's slightly above average weight when compared to the statistical mean of Liepard's weight then one can assume that you might have some yourself when compared to the statistical mean of male humans at your height and bone structure." N explained in his version of a simple manner.

"So now I have great form because I have extra weight? So that's it then. I have love handles." Throwing my hands in the air, Liepard jumped slightly when they came back down and thumped into the couch rather than pet her. In an apology, I rubbed my thumb lightly over her nose and over to scratch behind one of her ears.

"If that's how you wish to interpret it." N conceded, and carefully maneuvered Liepard's rear so he could sit down next to me. He flipped on the television, the channel still on a cartoon one. As the character Miltank transformed into Super Miltank to save her younger brother Torchic from yet another sinister plot, we settled into a comfortable silence. Living with N was… strange. Not because he could be weird at times, but simply because after spending two months with him trying to find my family, running from ex-grunts…

It was strange being with him, but not having to run to or from anything. Though there were times he would abruptly go missing, and the first few times it was frightening… but he was getting better about warning me ahead of time.

He just liked to get out. To go around the region, to help Pokemon, to see friends (of the non-human variety). I was starting to wonder if he was getting bored of being here. An unsettling thought. Not even here for a month, and he was already prepared to leave. My hand traveled down Liepard's spine, scratching the violet fur along the way. She began purring, quite loudly. She had, technically, been my first Pokemon. Most trainers, they start out with an Oshawott (my sister), or a Tepig (Bianca), or even a Snivy (Cheren). Me? Mother hadn't felt safe with me leaving with a Pokemon with no more experience than me with the world at large. So Purrloin, the family pet of all things, came with me.

A lot of the people I told, they laughed at the thought. But really, my mother had trained her. Liepard was not the world's strongest Pokemon, but she was agile and her footwork made up for her lack of strength. She was also a master of knowing when she couldn't win, and would hightail off with me. Of my entire team, I felt safest with her.

My hand slid onto N's, fingers wrapping around his. He continued to watch the television with me, but turned his hand so he could return the hold. Just because one hand was busy did not mean I could stop petting Liepard, as she began nudging my other one. Since she asked so nicely… I started scratching under her chin, staring past the screen and just wondering. What if N was getting bored here? Glancing at him, he didn't appear bored. Rather, he seemed to not even be watching it either. He did that a lot. Thinking about whatever caught his mind's eye, staring into space and not even sharing those thoughts.

"It's nothing to worry about." Cheren commented a few weeks ago, during one of N's missing episodes. ""He's probably like me. Running mental simulations of the same situation just with different elements and trying to determine the route with the outcome we find most favorable. It's a lot like Pokemon battling, just with different elements. Look, Touya… Pokemon Battling is not a just a cultural thing. If it were, then there would only be a few regions with it." As he spoke, I stared at him with my brows furrowed trying to figure what this had to do with the way N stared into nothing.

"What I'm trying to say is… battling isn't cruel, unless you make it cruel. And very few people do. For the Pokemon, it is beneficial because the training, the practice, the actual confrontation… it challenges, excites, and empowers them. Most Pokemon hate it when you restrain them, when you refuse to let them grow. We help them, we nurture them when they are hurt… and in turn, they train us, they help us grow. Humans don't evolve like Pokemon do – but that doesn't mean we can't grow and change with them on an emotional and mental level. What I'm trying to say, is that N has the same desire as any other person to help Pokemon change and grow- but he always has to find a different way to do so. But he runs his thoughts like any trainer runs a battle. Compare how you think in a battle, and how he thinks at any given time. You'll see what I mean."

I still didn't get it, but Cheren's words were intriguing even so. Touko had said N didn't enjoy battling, but had to do so to prove himself to Reshiram. _A person's strength is reflected in the strength of their Pokemon… _a textbook said, years and years ago. Apparently this was a rule both humans and Pokemon lived by. What kind of strength did it reflect? Determination?

"You're crushing my hand." N spoke, causing me to jump and release my hold.

"S-sorry…"

"…it's fine." He said carefully, and cocked his head slightly to me but said nothing. As I remained silent, he continued to stare. Looking away did not deter his gaze, and from my peripheral vision I could tell he was still watching me. Minutes passed, with Miltank and Torchic ending on the television though by now it was background noise.

"What?" I blurted at length, feeling tension wind in my chest.

"Nothing. Just noting a correlation between the strength of your grip and the depth of your thoughts and trying to determine if it is merely a correlation or if there is some kind of causation as well. That's always the trick to statistics – determining if they are one in the same as otherwise there can be false science being advertised and in inaccurate science there are accidental lies that can cause more harm than good."

"…you're running math on my behaviors?"

"Humans are very calculative creatures, but it all runs on a subconscious levels. For example, I always can tell something interesting or good has happened to you when you approach me at time intervals that on any other day you would have spent elsewhere – but due to your fondness for me, you seek me out before anyone else to share the good news."

"I'm not even going to dwell on how creepy that sounded."

"You've made that comment many times. I am grateful you ignore my creepy factor, just as I am sure you are grateful I ignore your sarcastic factor." N's smile was far too wide for that remark, so I just scowled. Punching him was out of the question, because then the discussion on domestic violence would start again.

"…shut up." I grumbled, turning away to more effectively pout.

"You were the one who started the conversation, as the instigator I would imagine you to hold more responsibility to your post and continue engaging me with new topics to discuss otherwise it will die and I might be inclined to no longer trust your abilities to discuss with me for more than thirty-six seconds. Also, I should like to point out I spoke a majority of that time."

"You speak a majority of the time anyway." I retorted, trying to not crack a smile – from his grin my attempts were unsuccessful.


End file.
